Some crash and burn. Others grin and bear it. Still others, turn to their God for His direction. If that disciple is loaded down with the attitudes and expectations of the culture in which he/she lives, then all bets are off; they loose. That person may respond in almost any way, without reference to the Faith that is supposed to be the bedrock foundation of life. Often, the onset of hard times brings out the worst in us: arguments, rage, heavy drinking, self destruction or marital failure. Sometimes, the hard times are the result of nothing we have done: loss of employment or serious illness, for example. Still, how we respond to these situations demonstrates to us and to those around us, who we really are.
If we are Disciples of Jesus, then our response is that we begin to pray. We start to seek God’s Face, asking Him a number of questions as we search our own hearts. Trying not to get to Me-Centered, we look inside. Have we erred in some area? Is there un-confessed sin in our lives? Is our relationship with our families, co-workers, and friends in good order? God, what are You showing us? Is this simply the result of living in a fallen world, or is there spiritual warfare afoot? How can we stay the course, continue in our Faith, and be strong, when all that is within us is crying out desperately for help?
We don't always bring prayer to the front when we experience setbacks in our lives, do we? It is as though we are asleep. The alarm is ringing in our ears, and we seem deaf to Prayer’s insistent call. Romans 13:11 exhorts us to wake up. This Sunday, we will look at the Matthew 6 passage concerning the prayer Jesus taught us to examine several reasons why we need to be praying seriously right now. Then, we will do just that: we will take some of our time together to pray, because we need to seek the Lord as a community, and we need to do that together today. (Thanks Ed for the words and ideas...)
Last week, we started on our study of what is called the Lord’s Prayer. We followed the prayer right up to this section and will, most likely, finish today.
this then, is how you should pray ...
" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,’ but deliver us from the evil one for Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.”
1. “Give us…”
“Give me!” is one of the first things children say. Or “Mine!” “Satisfy my longings!” is the statement that child says as (s)he grows up. “I need!” continues to be the theme over the years up until death when “I need more medicine!” is heard above the sounds of the heart machine.
The heart is to be satisfied.
This section of the teaching prayer teaches us to have compassion; compassion for the poor and needy. It really takes our eyes off our own needs and puts them where He would want them. There is such a need for today’s church to have compassion of those who are in need.Our call in life:
Isaiah 58:6 “… to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” イザヤ書 /58章 6節 わたしの選ぶ断食とはこれではないか。悪による束縛を断ち、軛の結び目をほどいて／虐げられた人を解放し、軛をことごとく折ること。
Isaiah 42:6-7 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” イザヤ書 / 42章 6節-7節 主であるわたしは、恵みをもってあなたを呼び／あなたの手を取った。民の契約、諸国の光として／あなたを形づくり、あなたを立てた。見ることのできない目を開き／捕らわれ人をその枷から／闇に住む人をその牢獄から救い出すために。
Isaiah 61:1 “to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” イザヤ書 / 61章 1節 主はわたしに油を注ぎ／主なる神の霊がわたしをとらえた。わたしを遣わして／貧しい人に良い知らせを伝えさせるために。打ち砕かれた心を包み／捕らわれ人には自由を／つながれている人には解放を告知させるために。
It is our call to be these things to the society we live in. While it is important to help in foreign lands, those around us are in need of being set free. Many today are in fear of going outside. Many are in fear of people. Many today are in fear of failure. They are slaves to sin; slaves in their social dungeons. Tied to superstitions that cannot free them. Cords are holding them to family traditions that are not based on truth.So many times we are eager to ask God for things WE need and we do forget about those others who are needing more than us.
One of the easier pitfalls we might fall into is to want things for ourselves. There is a great book out today that has been so very helpful to many as they look for principles to live with concerning the treasures of the heart. I am tempted to just read/preach the book straight from the pages. The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving.
In a nut shell, here it is: We should not live for the dot but for the line. He writes: “The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on earth that end up in junkyards. The person who lives for the line lives for the treasures in heaven that will never end.”
Yes, we do need things. Yes, it is right that we ask for them. Yes, it is OK to ask for things we really don’t need but don’t place your Salvation on getting it. All that we ask or even think … according to our needs in Christ Jesus. An X-Box? Trip to Hawaii? That great looking man? The job of your dreams? The experience of a life-time? The answer to the questions of life? Does it fit with what we need in Christ Jesus? If yes, than ask. Which leads us to the ONE thing we all need: forgiveness for our sins.
I heard once that if the patients in mental hospitals could deal with guilt and forgiveness, there would be very few there. Lack of forgiveness kills us--literally kills us. It most be dealt with!
2. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…”
Here is a promise! If you forgive, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. We must forgive, as we hope to be forgiven. Those who desire to find mercy with God, must show mercy to others. Christ came into the world as the great Peace-maker, not only to reconcile us to God, but one to another.
We are taught to hate and dread sin while we hope for mercy, to distrust ourselves, to rely on the providence and grace of God to keep us from sin, to be prepared to resist the tempter, and not to become tempters of others. There is a condition here!
Again, as one man put it, this prayer puts it all together: comprehending all our real wants: FORGIVENESS, expressing all our lawful desires: to be forgiven. If we desire Forgiveness from God, we NEED to give forgiveness to anyone who has sinned against us. If we can not, His forgiveness is not ours. It will not come to us--unless we forgive.
And forgive us our sins, as we also forgive those who sin against us.
3. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" — We do live in a wicked world with all sorts of temptations in front of us. The Lord does not tempt us--according to
James 1:13-14 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ヤコブの手紙 / 1章 13節-14節 誘惑に遭うとき、だれも、「神に誘惑されている」と言ってはなりません。神は、悪の誘惑を受けるような方ではなく、また、御自分でも人を誘惑したりなさらないからです。 むしろ、人はそれぞれ、自分自身の欲望に引かれ、唆されて、誘惑に陥るのです。
And in 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul wrote: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. コリントの信徒への手紙一 / 10章 13節 あなたがたを襲った試練で、人間として耐えられないようなものはなかったはずです。神は真実な方です。あなたがたを耐えられないような試練に遭わせることはなさらず、試練と共に、それに耐えられるよう、逃れる道をも備えていてくださいます。We do not HAVE to fall. When we do, we can ask for forgiveness. God has made a way for us to escape, through His Son, Jesus, so that we may be more than conquerors. Through His love, through His Son, we are more than conquerors over sin and all the consequences of sin. This part of the prayer is connected to the part on forgiveness. He is working with us--well, He is wanting us to work with Him in His Plan to bring His kingdom to come, as in...
4. "For Yours is the Kingdom" — The sovereign right of all things that are or ever were created: Everything is His. All that we have is His. All that we ever will be is His. We can’t get away from His possession of us. He, after all, made us and all that we have around us. To look at the world any other way is to be selfish. This is His Kingdom. Not the dot but the line. With eternity in mind.
"The Power" - His executive power, as Sovereign Lord God, whereby He governs all things in His everlasting Kingdom: The power of creation, the power of the sun rise, the power of the Resurrection, the power of a changed life. All this Power is found in Jesus.
And "the Glory" - The praise due from every creature, for His Power, and all His wondrous works, and the mightiness of His vast Kingdom, which endures through all ages, even for ever and ever.
It is to be seen, that though this doxology (the ending), as well as the petitions of this prayer, all this is directed to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. This prayer shows us not only how to pray, but also what are the things in our lives we will need to be exposed to His sight and touch. Listen to Jesus, when He said:
Matthew 6:7-15 (The Message) 7-13 "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with You and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything You want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.”
14-15 "In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.”
