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Matthew 6:9-15 (The Lord’s Prayer)

INTRODUCTION: Today we come to the most well-known section of the whole Sermon on the Mount – the Lord’s Prayer, sometime also called the “Our Father.” It is a beautiful prayer, one that many people know by heart, or they can at least follow along when it is being said. Songs have been written based on this prayer; books and commentaries have been written about this prayer. There are many prayers recorded in the Bible, yet this is easily the most famous prayer of all. (Read Matthew 6:9-15 and pray)

Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life, and yet many of us still struggle with prayer. If you ask the question, “How many of you are satisfied with your prayer life?” very few will answer yes. Isn’t it ironic that one of the most beautiful things we experience in this life, talking with our heavenly Father, can also be one of the most elusive?

As we come to the Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was already teaching his disciples about prayer. We saw from last week’s verses how not to pray. Prayer must not be a public show before others, nor should it be an attempt to manipulate God with many words. God sees what we do in secret, and he knows what you need before you ask him.

Now here in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus tells us how we should pray. And so this is a model prayer. Notice Jesus tells us how we should pray, not necessarily the exact words we should use. And so although we may use the Lord’s Prayer word for word in both public and private worship, it becomes even more important to us as a guide to prayer the way God intends it. Jesus did not intend for us just to recite the words but to learn from his words how we should pray every day.

For this reason some people have suggested we should really call it the Disciple’s Prayer rather than the Lord’s Prayer. This is the prayer we are supposed to pray, not the prayer Jesus necessarily prayed for himself. But I still like to call it the Lord’s Prayer. This is the prayer our Lord prayed when he taught us how to pray. It is a brief prayer. It only takes a minute to pray, and yet it contains all the requests that Jesus wants us to make. And when you pray according to the Lord’s Prayer, you can be certain your prayer requests will be heard and answered by God in heaven. So let’s look at this prayer together.

I. How do we approach God in prayer? (9)

All prayer must be addressed to somebody, and so Jesus begins by telling us to whom we address our prayers in verse 9: “Our Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9) Once again, it is a beautiful and simple address, and yet it teaches us so much about how we are to approach God in prayer.

   A. “Our” – We approach God as part of his people

The word “our” teaches us that we approach God as part of his people. When you become a Christian, although you are individually saved, you are not saved to experience God only as an individual. God is building a people, and you become part of the people of God.

As part of God’s people it is important not only to pray in community but also to pray as part of a community. So even when I am on my knees all by myself in my room with the door closed, I should still be praying, “Our Father in heaven.” I should still be praying with an awareness that I am part of something much bigger than myself. William Barclay notes: “It is very significant that in the Lord’s Prayer, the words I, me, and mine never occur.” How do we approach God in prayer? The word “our” teaches us that we should approach God as part of his people.

   B. “Father” – We approach God in childlike trust

Secondly, the word “Father” teaches us that we should approach God in childlike trust. Praise God, we are not only part of his people but part of his family! Jesus uses the word “Abba” here which is the Aramaic word for father. It is an intimate word of address that children use when speaking to their father, although adult children continue to use it as they grow older. I was at the grocery store and I saw a Middle Eastern family and the young boy was tugging on his father’s sleeve and calling out to him, “Abba, Abba!” Perhaps the nearest equivalent we have in English is the word “Poppa” or “Daddy.”

Isn’t that a precious gift, that God allows us to call him Father! This was a radically new approach to God that Jesus taught his people. Although the Old Testament spoke of God as the father of Israel as a nation, no one addressed him as a father personally in prayer. But through faith in Jesus we are adopted into God’s family, and this now becomes the primary way we approach God in prayer. God is not only personal and relational, but he is also our Father.

This part of the address also teaches us that the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer only for Christians. Only God’s children may call him Father. Only those who come to God though Christ are God’s children. How do we approach God in prayer? The word “Father” teaches us that we should approach God in childlike trust.

   C. “Heaven” – We approach God with reverence and respect (Eccl 5:2)

And then finally the word “heaven” teaches us that we should approach God with reverence and respect. Ecclesiastes 5:2 reminds us: “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2) God is in heaven, which speaks of his infinite power and majesty. We need to balance out familiarity with respect. It is wonderful that we can call God Father, but know that he is your heavenly Father. If we are to treat our earthly fathers with respect, how much more our heavenly Father.

Daniel Doriani writes: “God is both near to us, for he is our Father, and beyond us, for he is in heaven.” God is God over all the universe. We should approach him with reverence and respect.

And so the address of the prayer, “Our Father in heaven,” teaches us how to approach God in prayer. Next we move to the petitions of the prayer. And there are six petitions that Jesus gives us. The first three have to do with God’s concerns, and the second three have to do with the three main human needs we experience as humans.

II. Pray first about God’s concerns (9-10; also Matthew 6:33)

So first of all we pray for God’s concerns. This is significant because it teaches us that God’s concerns come first. This is the same order Jesus will teach later on in the Sermon on the Mount when he tells us: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) As we said last week, all of chapter six can be summed up with the words: “God first!” So what are the three prayers we make concerning God? We pray for God’s name, we pray for God’s kingdom, and we pray for God’s will.

   A. God’s name – Pray that people will honor and reverence the Lord

First of all, we pray for God’s name, that people will honor and reverence the Lord. Look at verse 9: “Hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9)

      1) “To hallow” means to reverence, to honor, to consider holy

The word “hallow” means to reverence, to honor, to consider holy. This ties in with the third commandment not to use God’s name in vain. God’s name is holy, and we should always treat his name with great reverence and honor in our lives.

      2) God’s name refers to God’s character or person

But God’s name is more than just whatever we happen to call God. God’s name refers to God’s character or person. It refers to all of who God is – his character, his nature, his love, his holiness. It refers to the fact that he is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and so we are to honor Jesus along with the Father.

The prayer “Hallowed be your name,” is not simply a prayer that we would honor and reverence the Lord, but that all people everywhere will honor and reverence him. Our hearts should be grieved anytime we dishonor the Lord or anytime we see anyone else dishonor the Lord.

That is the very first petition Jesus teaches us to ask: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9)

   B. God’s kingdom – Pray that God’s rule will overcome the world

Secondly, we pray for God’s kingdom, that God’s rule will overcome the world. Look at verse 10: “Your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10) Remember Jesus’ message when he first began to preach was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17) We saw then that the kingdom comes with Jesus, because he is the king! And so when we pray, “Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus!” we are also praying for God’s kingdom to come.

The kingdom came with Jesus. The kingdom is here with us now through the Holy Spirit in the church. God’s kingdom continues to grow as the gospel goes forth to the world. The kingdom will come in its fullness when Christ returns. We pray for all of these aspects of the kingdom, both present and future, when we pray, “Your kingdom come.” It is a prayer for God’s rule to overcome the world through Jesus the king.

   C. God’s will – Pray for obedience to God’s commands here on earth

And then thirdly we pray for God’s will, for obedience to God’s commands here on earth. Look at verse 10 again: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) What is God’s will? We find it revealed in his Word. We find a good deal of it revealed right here in the Sermon on the Mount as part of Jesus’ teachings.

If you want to know God’s will, you need to study his word. When we pray for God’s will to be done on earth, we commit ourselves to learning his will and following it in our own lives. God’s will is perfectly done in heaven. We should seek the same here on earth.

This last phrase, “on earth as it is in heaven” actually applies to all three prayer requests relating to God’s concerns. We pray that God’s name would be honored on earth as it is in heaven. We pray that God’s rule would come on earth as it is in heaven. We pray that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So we begin with God in prayer. These are big, bold requests seeking God’s glory and honor in all the world. And we may be sure that they will be answered as we pray for them, for this is how Jesus taught us to pray.

III. Pray about our three main needs (11-15)

Jesus says pray first about God’s concerns, and then we pray about our needs. Remember, the first three petitions have to do with God’s concerns, and now the second three petitions have to do with the three main human needs. God already knows your needs, but he wants you to ask.

   A. Physical needs – Pray for the daily needs of ourselves and others

The first main human need is physical needs, and so Jesus teaches us to pray for the daily needs of ourselves and others. Look at verse 11: “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) God cares about both the physical and the spiritual needs in our lives. He created us with bodies that need food, clothing and shelter, and he desires that these physical needs be met. Jesus came not only preaching the forgiveness of sins, but he fed the hungry and he healed the sick.

When we pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” the word “give” reminds us that even though we may work hard for a living, it is God who provides the work and it is God who provides what we need. The Lord’s Prayer recognizes our rightful dependency on God for all that we have.

      1) “Bread” – symbolic of all that is necessary to sustain life

Bread is symbolic of all that is necessary to sustain life, and so would include food, clothing, health and shelter. Notice we are to pray for our needs, not our wants. Jesus tells us to ask for our daily bread, not our daily cake – with cream cheese frosting, and a cherry on top, and ice cream on the side!

      2) “Today” – trust God to provide what we need when we need it

The word “today” reminds us that we are to trust God to provide what we need when we need it. We live one day at a time, and we trust God’s timing to provide.

      3) “Daily” – that which is needful; we are not to pray for excess

And the word “daily” reminds us that we are only to pray for that which is needful. We are not to pray for excess. Jesus would not approve of praying to win the lottery. Rather we should pray like the wise man Agur did in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

God gave the Israelites manna in the desert “daily.” He did not give them a month’s supply at a time. And so Jesus teaches us to pray for the daily needs of ourselves and others.

   B. Forgiveness – Pray for forgiveness for the sins we have committed

The second main human need is forgiveness, and so Jesus tells us to pray next for forgiveness for the sins we have committed. Look at verse 12: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) There is a line in a hymn which says: “Thou art giving and forgiving” which is based in part on these verses. In verse 11 we pray for God to give. In verse 12 we pray for God to forgive. All have sinned, so all need forgiveness.

Jesus uses the word “debts” here because we owe God our full obedience. That means when we sin, we are actually in debt to him. So Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our debts.”

Do you realize you can actually do this with God? You can actually ask him to forgive you your debt to him? This is astounding grace. Try walking up to your bank this week and saying: “Forgive me my mortgage, forgive me my auto loan, forgive me my credit card balance” and see what happens. I guarantee you will get laughed right out of the bank! But not with God. When you ask him, he actually does it! There’s a beautiful song which goes: “He paid a debt he did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace! Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.”

Notice that Jesus assumes that if you have been forgiven, you will also forgive others. We see this in verse 11 where Jesus says: “as we also have forgiven our debtors,” and we see it again in Jesus’ follow-up remarks to the Lord’s Prayer in verses 14-15: “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.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

We should not read this as though God forgives us because we have forgiven others. We know that God forgives us simply because we put our faith in Jesus Christ. We are not forgiven because we forgive. No, we forgive because we have been forgiven. Just as Jesus assumes that a true Christian will pray, give and fast, so Jesus assumes that a true Christian will forgive.

A man once said to John Wesley, “I never forgive.” Wesley replied, “Then I hope you never sin!” A true Christian is one who has been forgiven and therefore forgives. And so we can truly pray: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

   C. Spiritual victory – Pray for deliverance from temptation and Satan’s power

The third and final human need is spiritual victory, and so Jesus teaches us to pray for deliverance from temptation and Satan’s power. Look at verse 13: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)

The prayer for forgiveness is necessary because sin is a reality in our lives. But sin doesn’t have to get the upper hand. And so Jesus tells us to pray for victory. The prayer for forgiveness looks backward to failure in the past. But the prayer for deliverance looks forward to victory in the future.

      1) God never tempts us (James 1:13)

There are three things we may learn from this third and final petition. First of all, God never tempts us. James 1:13 says: “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) God is on your side when it comes to temptation, and when you pray this prayer you can be confident that God will answer.

      2) Ask God to help you avoid situations where sin becomes hard to resist

Secondly, we should see this as a prayer asking God to help you avoid situations where sin becomes hard to resist. God will never tempt you anyways, so you are really asking him to keep you as far away from temptation as possible. It’s the flip side of Psalm 23 which says: “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3 Instead of seeing how close you can get to sin without falling into temptation, pray that God would keep you far away.

      3) We all need God’s power to overcome Satan – you can’t make it on your own!

And then thirdly, we all need God’s power to overcome Satan. You can’t make it on your own! Don’t overestimate your ability to withstand temptation. When it comes to temptation to sin, the Christian response isn’t, “Bring it on!” but rather “Lead me away! Deliver me!”

We are accustomed to praying, “Deliver us from evil,” rather than “Deliver us from the evil one.” The word can mean either evil in general or the evil one, referring to Satan. Either way, we need God’s power to overcome the power of Satan and sin in our lives.

And so after praying first for God’s three great concerns – his name, his kingdom, and his will – Jesus instructs us to pray secondly for our three great human needs: our daily physical needs, our great need for forgiveness and our equally great need for spiritual victory. John Stott writes: “Thus the three petitions which Jesus puts upon our lips are beautifully comprehensive. They cover, in principle, all our human need – material (daily bread), spiritual (forgiveness of sin) and moral (deliverance from evil). What we are doing whenever we pray this prayer is to express our dependence upon God in every area of our human life.”

IV. Doxology

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we usually end with a doxology: “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” This doxology is not found in all the early manuscripts, it so may have been added later. Either way it is a fitting and biblically appropriate ending to the prayer. In fact every element of it can be found in the Old Testament (for example, King David’s doxology of praise found in 1 Chronicles 29:10-13).

When we pray, “Yours is the kingdom,” we affirm that God alone rules over all creation. When we pray, “Yours is the power,” we affirm that God alone has power to answer our prayers. When we pray, “Yours is the glory,” we affirm that God alone is worthy of all praise and honor. And when we pray, “Forever,” we affirm that these things will always be true of our God.

How should you pray? Jesus has told you everything you need to know right here in the Lord’s Prayer. May we take this prayer to heart, and use it as a model for the prayers we also bring before the Lord.

© Ray Fowler

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