Lesson 2 Lord Teach Us to Pray Part One
Growing Growing Wise Wise
Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Lesson Notes
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TEACHER TO TEACHER
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n the late ‘70s, I sought a mentor or spiritual director who could help me begin to master the discipline of Christian meditation. I was directed by the Associate Pastor in my Southern Baptist church to an Episcopal pastor named Ed Abrahamson, who was widely recognized as a gifted spiritual director. One of the early assignments I received from Father Ed was to spend a week reflecting upon each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. So I spent an hour each day seeking to allow the Spirit to teach me about each phrase of the prayer. When I had finished working through the prayer as it is recorded in Luke, I worked through the rendition recorded by Matthew. Father Ed—like a good spiritual director always does—regularly asked me questions that led me to more meaningful insights and challenging applications to be lived out in my developing prayer life. Preparing to write this lesson has resurrected many wonderful memories of my time with Father Ed. It also has led me to a fresh understanding and again challenged me to integrate my new understanding into my current prayer disciplines.
AS YOU PREPARE
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s you prepare to teach this lesson, be encouraged to take the time to slowly meditate upon both Matthew’s version and Luke’s version of the prayer. I have placed them in parallel below as they appear in the NIV. However, please feel free to study them in your own favorite version of the Bible, too. Begin your meditation saying along with the original disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:2-4 Address
Father,
Our Father in heaven,
Petition 1
Hallowed be your name (May your name be hallowed),*
Hallowed be your name (May your name be hallowed),*
Petition 2
(May)* your Kingdom come.
(May)* your kingdom come, (May)* your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Petition 3 Petition 4
Give us each day our daily bread.
Give us today our daily bread.
Petition 5
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Petition 6
And lead us not into temptation.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Benediction
* h
Matthew 6:9-13
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (found only in later manuscripts).h
Parenthetical words added by author. Similar to passage found in the Didache 8:2—“for yours is the power and glory forever.”
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To Teacher 2-1
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
STUDYING THE WORD TOGETHER
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he Spirit seemed to regularly prod me saying, “There is something more for you to discover about prayer.” After a few months of reading and unimaginative experiments, I called my friend Jim Zanios and asked him to meet me for lunch. He listened attentively as I described what I thought the Spirit was saying to me. Then I heard myself saying, “Jim, are there still Christian men who really know how to pray?” Jim smiled, nodded his head, and invited me to join him and about eight others who met to pray for one hour from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. each Thursday morning—even on Thanksgiving and Christmas! Some in the group were very successful businessmen; another was a renowned scientist at the Sandia National Defense Laboratory. One had served on the board of the Billy Graham Foundation and on the Executive Committee of Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship. I was out of my league professionally and socially. I arrived early the first Thursday and was warmly greeted. Sharply at 6:00 a.m. the men in the room knelt around a large conference table and begin to pray. They concluded just as sharply at 7:00. The first few weeks I didn’t pray aloud at all. I just listened. I was astounded at what I heard. These men prayed with power and authority. I knew the Lord had led me to this group and that He intended to use each one to teach me things that would help me move to the next level in my prayer life. With the exception of working with Ed Abrahamson, I had learned about prayer pretty much on my own. Now, I was really being taught to pray in a fresh new way. I learned by listening to these godly men pray. Then I prayed according to the patterns and models I recognized in their prayers.
LEARNING TO PRAY
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here appears in Luke 9:51-56 a brief, but very interesting passage that tells us about Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.
2-2
Word Study
Jesus and the disciples wanted to pass through a small village, taking a short cut to Jerusalem. However, the Samaritan people in the village refused to let them pass through. The disciples were angry and wanted to destroy the whole village. We don’t know if they were angry because their trip to Jerusalem was lengthened or because the villagers rejected Jesus. The fact that they wanted to beseech God to destroy the people with fire from heaven, tells us that they perhaps were holding on to a distorted view of God based upon their understanding of how He had acted in Israel’s history. They apparently viewed Him as powerful, angry, and vengeful, particularly toward nonJews. The disciples had not yet learned to look at God as He was being revealed to them in the life of Jesus. By the way, a
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Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
footnote in the Christian Standard Bible tells us that later manuscripts show verse 55 reading, “But Jesus turned and rebuked them [the disciples] saying, ‘You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives but to save them.’” I believe that the disciples became aware of the difference in the way they perceived God and the way Jesus knew Him. They recognized a difference in the way they prayed and the way Jesus prayed. Perhaps this is what led them to ask Jesus to teach them to pray.
phrases not found in Luke. Matthew most likely was written between A.D. 70 and A.D. 90. Matthew used both Luke (written approximately A.D. 50) and Mark as sources for his Gospel. Luke’s version of the prayer more likely is nearer the original length. The more eloquent form found in Matthew probably is reflective of the way the prayer had evolved due to its use in the worship services of the very early church. These differences1 need not be viewed as problematic as far as the significance of the prayer is concerned. What matters is:
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
1. Jesus thought it important to teach His disciples a model prayer 2. It was a prayer that drew upon Jesus’ and His disciples’ Jewish heritage and marked out those who used it as followers of the Christ.
It was not unusual for a rabbi to teach his disciples a simple prayer that they often would pray, both privately and communally. We assume from this passage that John the Baptist probably taught his disciples such a prayer. Jesus’ disciples presumably had heard Him pray on many occasions. Just as His teaching was different than that of other teachers (Matt 7:29), I imagine Jesus’ prayers also were different than those the disciples were accustomed to hearing and praying. No wonder they wanted Him to teach them to pray! Jesus’ response to His disciples’ plea was what believers ever since have called The Lord’s Prayer.
The Two Versions of the Lord’s Prayer
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f you read the introduction to this lesson, you already are aware that there are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer recorded in the Gospels: one in Luke 11:24 and the other in Matthew 6:9-13. You also know that the versions are different in some respects. Matthew contains a number of clarifying 1
Notes
Whether taught by Jesus in two forms or used by the early Christians in two forms, it is indeed the same prayer and remains a living, adaptable form.
Six Petitions
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s indi cated in T E A C H E R T O TEACHER in the table showing the forms of the Lord’s Prayer in parallel, the model can be understood as containing six petitions. In this lesson, we will study the first three. The final three will be discussed in the next lesson. But let’s review all six petitions, using Matthew’s expanded form of the prayer (see chart on the following page). There are a few things I want you to notice as you review the six petitions. First, notice that the first three petitions are prayed on behalf of God’s Name, His Kingdom, and His Will. Then see that three petitions are offered not on behalf of the praying individual, but on behalf of the entire faith community: “give us,” “forgive us,” and “lead us.” It is as if we dare not ask for blessings for ourselves
Adapted from article titled “Prayer” by J. D. G. Dunn appearing in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels © 1992 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.
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Word Study
2-3
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Growing Wise
Notes
Matthew 6:9-13 Address:
Our Father in heaven,
Petition 1:
Hallowed be your name (or may your name be hallowed),2
Petition 2:
(May)2 your kingdom come,
Petition 3:
(May)2 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Petition 4:
Give us today our daily bread.
Petition 5:
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Petition 6:
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Benediction:
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (found only in later manuscripts).2
that would set us apart from or give us advantage over our brothers and sisters in our faith community. This is a communal prayer and, as such, was used by the earliest church when she gathered to worship. Isn’t it interesting that the six petitions are divided into two sections: praying for things that concern God and praying for things of concern to man. This reminds me of the Great Commandments: Love the Lord, your God…and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-39). Now let’s give attention to the address and the first three petitions.
The Address teaches the His followers to J esus begin their prayers by addressing God as He did—from a personally intimate Father-Son or Abba-Child relationship.3 Father…Luke 11:2 Our Father who is in heaven… Mathew 6:9 Dunn finds this clearer in the Lukan form of the prayer. He states that Jesus’ use of Father “almost certainly reflects Jesus’ own style of addressing God and… also indicates Jesus’ intention that His
disciples should share in His own intimate sonship to God as Father.”4 T h i s i s n o t q u i t e a s o b vi o u s i n Matthew’s account where He says in a more stately form, “Our Father who is in heaven.” This form is more in line with the language of the Shemoneh Esreh, the Eighteen Benedictions that probably were known and used by Jesus. Each of the Eighteen Benedictions ended with a final “Blessed are you, Lord…” immediately followed by a descriptor like “who makes t h e d e a d a l i ve ,” “ wh o d e l i ght s i n repentance,” “who humbles the insolent,” or “who hears prayer.”5
The First Petition— Reverencing His Name
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he first petition in the Lord’s Prayer beseeched God to set apart His Name from all others—to make it holy. …Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. (Matthew 6:9) The word translated hallowed is part of the Greek verb hagiazesthai, which is connected to hagios. Hagios usually is rendered holy, but the basic meaning is
2
Parenthetical words and phrases inserted by author. Not contained in original Bible passages. You may find it beneficial to review Lesson One of this study. 4 J. D. G. Dunn, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. 5 See Commentary for this lesson for more information on prayer in Jesus’ time. 3
2-4
Word Study
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Growing Wise different or separate. Something which is hagios is different. A person who is hagios is separate from other people. So we might less formally pray, “Let God’s Name be treated differently than all other names” (Philip 2:9). Or we might pray “Give God’s Name an absolutely unique position” (Ps 138:2). There is something to add to this. “In Hebrew, the name does not mean simply the name by which a person is called…. The name means the nature, character or the personality of the person insofar as it is known or revealed to us.”6 For example, David writes in Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name will trust in you….” This passage means that those who know the nature and character of God will put their trust in Him. Hallowed means to regard as different. Name refers to the nature, character, and personality of God insofar as it has been revealed to us. So, “hallowed be your Name” means “enable us to give you, God, the unique place which your nature and character deserve.” There is a word in English which captures this idea and that word is reverence.7
The Second Petition— Pleading for His Kingdom to Come
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he Second petition is a plea for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Your kingdom come…. (Matthew 6:10)
Just as the opening address—“Our Father who us in heaven”—reflected forms of Jewish prayer found in the Eighteen Benedictions, this petition also resembles a Jewish prayer, the Qaddish, with which Christ is likely to have been familiar. The Qaddish says: “Exalted and hallowed be
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
his great name in the world, which he created according to his will. May he establish his kingdom in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the whole household of Israel, speedily and at a near time.”8 The Kingdom of God was an integral part of Christ’s teaching. Early in His public ministry Jesus declared, “…The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). Later He said, “…I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). Because J e sus i ncl u de d t he ple a f or God ’s Kingdom to come in this prayer and because the Kingdom of God is so central to His teaching, surely it is important for us to try to understand its meaning. It generally is recognized that the Kingdom of God as referred to in the Lord’s Prayer references God’s kingly rule in which He exercises His royal power and authority. Barclay views the second and third petitions of the Lord’s Prayer as Hebrew parallelism and, therefore, concludes that the Kingdom of God can be defined as “a society upon earth where God’s will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven.”9 The idea of the Kingdom of God was understood by Israel throughout her history. For example when interpreting a dream for King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel said, “…the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan 2:44). This is certainly a picture of a future eternal earthly kingdom in which God will rule.
Notes
debate as to whether the S cholars Kingdom of God as referred to by
Christ was past, present, or future. Jesus
6
William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study Series (Revised Edition): The Gospel of Matthew Volume 1, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1975, p. 205. 7 Barclay, p. 206. 8 J. D. G. Dunn. 9 Barclay, p. 211.
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Word Study
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Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
seems to present all three perspectives. In Luke 13:28 He tells His audience that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are in the Kingdom—possibly suggesting that the Kingdom existed prior to the birth of Jesus. Then in Luke 17:21 He says that the Kingdom of God “is within you,” indicating that it currently is present. Finally, Jesus instructs His disciples to pray for the future coming of the Kingdom (Matt. 6:10). It seems to me that Jesus’ teaching, when taken in its entirety, tells us that the Kingdom of God mysteriously exists within the believer. This has been true, is true, and will continue to be true. It also seems to me that the whole of Scripture teaches us that in His Second Advent, Christ will establish an earthly Kingdom (the New Jerusalem) and will reign over that kingdom eternally. By the way, in some later manuscripts the second petition reads, “May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.” This probably reflects that some of the early churches were concerned that the time remaining until the Second Advent seemed very distant, and thus they wanted to make the experience of the believer more contemporaneous. This substituted petition recognizes that the kingly rule of God and Christ is exercised through the Holy Spirit. When made a regular petition, it properly reflects the pray-er’s need to receive enabling grace in order to remain holy and pure.10 Nevertheless, our prayer simply might be this: “May your kingdom be established within me and within the church in this present time. And may you soon come to establish your eternal Kingdom on Earth.”
The Third Petition— Submitting to His Will
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he third petition is most certainly, as Barclay asserts, intended to be understood as an extension or clarification 10 11
of the second. In fact, some Bible interpreters prefer a structure of five petitions rather than six. Let’s look now at the third petition as a Hebrew parallelism: ...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) The first line in the pair calls for God to establish His Kingdom rule and authority. The second or parallel clarifying petition beseeches God to cause His Will to be done as perfectly on earth as it is perfectly done in heaven. The two ideas actually are inseparable. If I live under the rule and authority of God, it follows that I must give His Will preeminence over my own. This immediately brings to mind Christ’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22:42) God’s Kingdom cannot be established in the hearts of people who are unwilling to wholeheartedly submit their will to His. Said another way, when we fail to submit our will to the King of King’s authoritative Will, we are living in rebellion! I believe that the attitude of heart behind the submission is very important. One might submit because of a sense of defeated resignation. Or one may accept God’s Will with bitter resentment as one defeated by an enemy who is overwhelmingly strong. Neither case represents wholehearted submission to God’s Will.
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hristians can submit to God’s Will, knowing that the Real God 11 is caringly involved in their lives, full of wisdom and love. Paul expressed it this way: He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
J. D. G. Dunn You may find it helpful to review Lesson 3: “Knowing the Real God” in The Prayer God Always Answers: Lord, Make Me a Spiritual Parent at any Cost © 2005 by Casas Adobes Baptist Church, Tucson, AZ.
2-6 Word Study
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Growing Wise Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:32, 35, 37-39)
APPLICATION IDEAS AND QUESTIONS
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he biblical truths and principles in this lesson find their application in both our private and our communal prayers. As Roger Barrier has said so often in his sermons, “The heart attitudes of the pray-er make a real difference in the effectiveness of the prayer.” Responding to the following questions may suggest how we might work toward praying as Jesus taught us to pray. 1. Do my attitudes and actions suggest that I really do reverence God’s Name? Do I recognize that it is different
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
from, separate from, and above every other name—including my own? Do my attitudes and actions indicate that I may not view God as He really is? Would I be better able to pray from a Father-Son/Daughter or Abba-Child relationship if my heart perspective of God were more biblically accurate?
Notes
2. How has the Kingdom of God already made a difference in the world, in my church, and in me? Do my prayers suggest that I am longing for the Kingdom of God to come to the world, to the Universal Church, to Casas, and to me? Am I prepared to let the coming of the Kingdom begin with me—at any cost? Am I ready to endure the “cross of sanctification” in order to make a place for the Kingdom in my heart? 3. Living in the present manifestation of the Kingdom of God means that I must submit to the rule and authority of the King of Kings. Am I too selfreliant, selfish, or self-condemning to be able to truly and humbly say with Christ, “Father…not my will, but yours be done”? Am I secure enough in His love for me that I can trust Him to meet my needs and act in my best interest?
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Word Study
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Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise COMMENTARY
PUBLIC PRAYER IN THE SYNAGOGUE
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uring the time of Jesus, synagogue s er vi ce s wer e hel d t hr ee or perhaps four times on the Sabbath. The normal pattern of the synagogue service appears to have included the recital of several prayers: the Shema (a combination of Dt 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Nu 15:37-41); the Shemoneh Esreh (the Eighteen Benedictions), a lengthy and elaborate corporate prayer (offered while standing); and the reading and interpretation of Scripture, perhaps on the basis of a lectionary. There is no comment about these matters in any of the Gospels. The worship of the early church tended to carry on the worship practices of the synagogue. While that affinity is chiefly the result of factors other than Jesus’ own precept and example, it is hard to imagine the early church carrying on a form of worship so reminiscent of the synagogue if Jesus Himself had condemned such worship. In this instance the argument from silence seems compelling.1
THE EIGHTEEN BENEDICTIONS
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hese eighteen (really nineteen) benedictions are mentioned in the Mishna. We are distinctly told that they were ordained by the one hundred and twenty elders of the Great Synagogue and we know that the representatives of the people recited them in the Temple every day, that the priests pronounced three of them upon the people every morning in the Hall of Squares in the Temple Court,
and that the High Priest prayed the sixteenth and the seventeenth sections of this litany on the Great Day of Atonement. Therefore there can be no doubt that our Savior and His apostles joined in these p r a yer s whe n t h e y r es o rt ed t o t he synagogue, and that when the apostles went on the top of the house to pray at the stated hour (Acts 1:13; 10:9), these b en ed i ct i on s f or me d p ar t o f t hei r devotions. The text of the Eighteen Benedictions as they were published in McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia 2 as originally published between 1867-1887 (note the King James English) follows: 1. “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; great, omnipotent, fearful, and most high God, who bountifully showest mercy, who art the possessor of all things, who rememberest the pious deeds of our fathers, and sendest the Redeemer to their children’s children, for his mercy’s sake is love, O our King, Defender, Savior, and Shield! Blessed art thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham!” 2. “Thou art powerful, O Lord, world without end; thou bringest the dead to life in great compassion, thou holdest up the falling, healest the sick, loosest the chained, and showest thy faithfulness to those that sleep in the dust. Who is like unto thee, Lord of might, and who resembles thee (a Sovereign killing and bringing to life again, and causing salvation to flourish)? Arid
1
Adapted from Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels © 1992 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. All rights reserved. 2 From McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
2-8 Commentary
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Growing Wise thou art sure to raise the dead. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who raisest the dead!” 3. “Thou art holy, and thy name is holy, and the holy ones praise thee every day continually. Blessed art thou, 0 Lord, the holy God!” 4. “ T h o u m e r c i f u l l y b e s t o w e s t knowledge upon men and teachest the mortal prudence. Mercifully bestow upon us, from thyself, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who mercifully bestowest knowledge!” 5. “Our Father, lead us back to thy law; bring us very near, O our King, to thy service, and cause us to return in sincere penitence into thy presence! Blessed art thou, O Lord, who delightest in repentance!” 6. “Our Father, forgive us, for we have sinned; our King, pardon us, for we have transgressed; for thou art forgiving and pardoning. Blessed art thou, O Lord, merciful and plenteous in forgiveness!” 7. “Look at our misery, contend our cause, and deliver us speedily, for thy name’s sake, for thou art a mighty deliverer, blessed art thou, O Lord, the deliverer of Israel!” 8. “Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed; save us, and we shall be saved; for thou art our boast. Grant us a perfect cure for all our wounds; for thou, O Lord our King, art a faithful and merciful Physician. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who healest the sick of thy people Israel!” 9. “Bless to us, O Lord our God, for good this year, and all its kinds of produce; send thy blessing upon the face of the earth; satisfy us with thy goodness, and bless this year as the years bygone. Blessed art thou, O
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Lord, who blessest the seasons!” 10. “ C a u s e t h e g r e a t t r u m p e t t o proclaim our liberty; raise the standard for the gathering of our captives, and bring us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who gatherest together the dispersed of Israel!”
Notes
11. “Reinstate our judges as of old, and our councillors as of yore; remove from us sorrow and sighing; and do thou alone, O Lord, reign over us in mercy and love, and judge us in righteousness and justice. Blessed art thou, O Lord the King, who lovest righteousness and justice!” 12. “Let the apostates have no hope, and let those who perpetrate wickedness speedily perish; let them all be suddenly cut off; let the proud speedily be uprooted, broken, crushed, and humbled speedily in our days. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who breakest down the enemy and humblest the proud!” 13. “On the righteous, on the pious, on the elders of thy people, the house of Israel, on the remnant of the scribes, on the pious: proselytes, and on us, bestow, O Lord our God, thy mercy; give ample: reward to all who trust in thy name in sincerity, make our portion with them forever, and let us not be ashamed, for we trust in thee! Blessed art thou, O Lord, the support and refuge of the righteous!” 14. “To Jerusalem thy city in mercy return, and dwell in it according to thy promise; make it speedily in our day an everlasting building, and soon establish therein the throne of David. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who buildest Jerusalem! The branch of David, thy servant, speedily cause to flourish, and exalt his horn with thy help, for we look to thy
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Commentary 2-9
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
help all day.” “Blessed art thou O Lord, who causest to flourish the horn of David!” (Two benedictions are combined here.) 15. “Hear our voice, O Lord our God; have pity and compassion on us, and receive with mercy and acceptance our prayers, for thou art a God hearing prayer and supplications. Our King, do not send us empty away from thy presence, for thou hearest the prayers of thy people Israel in mercy! Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hearest prayer!” 16. “Be favorable, O Lord our God, to thy people Israel, and to their prayer; restore the worship to thy sanctuary, receive lovingly the burnt-sacrifice of Israel and their prayer, and let the service of Israel thy people be always well-pleasing to thee. May our eyes see thee return to Zion in love. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who restorest thy Shechinah to Zion!” 17. “We thankfully confess before thee that thou art-the Lord our God, and the God of our fathers, world without end, and that thou art the shepherd of our life and the rock of our salvation from generation to generation; we render thanks unto thee and celebrate thy praises. Blessed art thou, O Lord, whose name is goodness, and whom it becomes to praise!” 18. “Bestow peace, happiness, blessing, grace, mercy, and compassion upon us and upon the whole of Israel, thy people. Our Father, bless us all unitedly with the light of thy countenance, for in the light of thy countenance didst thou give to us, O Lord bur God, the law of life, loving-kindness, justice, blessing, compassion, life, and peace. May it please thee to bless thy people Israel at all times, and in every moment,
2-10 Commentary
with peace. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who blessest thy people Israel with peace!”
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
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he “Kingdom of God” is one of the most remarkable ideas and phrases of all time, having begun to be used very near the beginnings of history and continuing in force down to the present day. Its use by Jesus is by far its most interesting aspect—for, in the Synoptics at least, it is His watchword. Thus in Matthew 4:23, the commencement of the ministry is described in these words: “And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people.” And somewhat later, in Luke 8:1, the expansion of His activity is described in the following terms: “And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good tidings of the kingdom of God, and with him the twelve.” When the Twelve are sent forth by themselves in Luke 9:2, the purpose of their mission is given in these words: “And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” In Matthew 13:11, the parables, which formed so large and prominent a portion o f H i s te ac hi n g, ar e d e no mi n ate d collectively “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”; and it will be remembered how many of these commence with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like.” In these quotations, and in others which might easily be adduced, it will be observed that the phrases “the kingdom,” “the kingdom of God,” and “the kingdom of heaven” are used interchangeably. The last of the three, “the kingdom of heaven,” is confined to the first Gospel, which does not, however, always make use of it; and it is not certain what may have been the reason for the substitution. The simplest explanation would be that heaven is a name for God, as, in the parable of the
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise Prodigal Son, the penitent says, “I have sinned against heaven,” and we ourselves might say, “Heaven forbid!” It is not, however, improbable that the true meaning has to be learned from two petitions of the
3
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Lord’s Prayer, the one of which is epexegetic of the other, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Here the disciples are instructed to pray that the kingdom of God may come.3
Notes
From International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft.
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Commentary 2-11
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes RESOURCES NEEDED: 2-sided copies of Lesson Notes / Take-Home pages Pencils or pens for each person Dry erase markers and marker board or felt tip markers and a flip chart
TIME FRAME:
Growing Wise
SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN NOTE TO TEACHER: This suggested lesson plan contains many elements that, if employed, will help maximize learning for life-change in your Bible Fellowship. If you are an experienced teacher, you have freedom to create your own plan based upon the “Studying the Word Together” section. If you are less experienced, we suggest that you “stick to the plan.” However, even less-experienced teachers should feel free to modify the plan based upon the needs of their Bible Fellowship. This plan is designed to be presented in 45 minutes. It is important, therefore, that you carefully plan your presentation so that you communicate the main points with brevity and clarity.
Focal Scriptures: Luke 11:2-4 Matthew 6:9-13
Teaching Goals: Learn: Department members develop a clear understanding of the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and know how to apply the related truths in their personal and corporate prayer lives. Experience: Experience praying the Lord’s Prayer in community from an Abba-Child relationship.
45 minutes
Before Class Begins: Distribute handouts. Write phrases from Lesson Notes on the board, so that as you teach you may fill in the blanks.
STEP ONE: GETTING READY TO LEARN (3 MINUTES)
Begin your class by telling them that you will begin a two part lesson today on the Lord’s prayer. Tell them that it is a prayer that has its origin with Christ and was used in the w o r sh i p s er vi ce s of t h e e ar l y Christian churches. Mention that it would have been customary for people to stand while praying the Lord’s Prayer together. Ask your class to stand and read aloud together the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV). Refer them to their handout or their New International Version of the Bible.
STEP TWO: LEARNING TO PRAY (7 MINUTES) Summarize the Luke 9:51-56 passage and call attention to the difference between the disciples’ desire for retribution against the people of the Samaritan village and Jesus’ response. Help your classmates recognize the disciples’ misperception of God’s character as well as their growing understanding of His grace. As you introduce the Luke 11:1 passage, “tell the story” of the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Briefly share with them what
2-12 Lesson Plan
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise you imagine it would have been like to hear Jesus pray and what it must have been like to receive firsthand the model prayer directly from the Master Teacher. Quickly mention the two versions of the Lord’s prayer (reference their Lesson Notes), and that our study will focus on the longer version from Matthew’s gospel. Refer your class to the petition chart on their handout. Explain the structure of the prayer as it is recorded in Matthew: address, six petitions (three prayed on behalf of God and three p r a ye d o n b eh al f of t he f ai t h community), and benediction. Tell your class that you are going to cover the first three petitions this week and the last three next week.
STEP THREE: THE ADDRESS AND THE FIRST PETITION— REVERENCING HIS NAME (5 MINUTES) Explain that the address (Our father) encouraged the disciples to approach God from a personally intimate, Father-Son / Abba-Child relationship. Introduce the first petition and discuss the meaning of hallowed (Lesson Plan blank: different). To facilitate the learning process, solicit a few of their definitions before presenting the lesson’s information. Explain that name refers to God’s nature, character, and personality.
STEP FOUR: THE SECOND PETITION—PLEADING FOR HIS KINGDOM TO COME (15 MINUTES) Take a few moments to define the Kingdom of God for your class. Fill
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
in the blanks and explain the ideas of the Kingdom having existed in the past (before Jesus’ birth), in the p r e s e n t ( w i t h i n t h e d i s ci pl es individually and collectively —and within us and today’s Church), and in the future (upon Christ’s return, as an earthly kingdom). Divide them into groups of 3 or 4. Ask each group to discuss how the world might be different if God’s loving rule and sovereign authority where to be established on earth. Ask them to discuss how the lives of the lost would be different if God’s Kingdom were established in them. Take a moment to pray that God would give each of us the grace to m o r e e a r n e s t l y ye a r n f o r H i s Kingdom to come in us and in the rest of the world.
Notes
STEP FIVE: THE THIRD PETITION—SUBMITTING TO HIS WILL (10 MINUTES) Briefly discuss that the third petition is inseparable from the second (Hebrew parallelism). Those living under God’s kingly rule must submit to His Will, not live in rebellion to it. Ask your classmates, “Might we be able to do lip service to submitting to God’s Will, yet not truly submit? What might that look like?” As you develop this section, fill in the blank for Lesson Notes: wholeheartedly submit their will to His. Propose the idea that our greatest struggle in this area may be to desire to impose our will on God rather than submit our will to His—and that this in effect is rebellion and idolatry. Men tio n th at n eith er d ef eated resignation nor bitter resentment qualify as wholehearted submission. You might also explain that selfreliance, self-centeredness (selfishness), and self-condemnation discourage us
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Lesson Plan 2-13
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
from submitting our will to God’s. Review Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane as the proper example: “Father…not my will, but yours be done.” Point out that Jesus was able to choose to submit to God’s Will because of the intimate Abba-Child relationship that He had with the Father; the Father had lovingly revealed His true nature, character, and personality (Name) to Jesus. Celebrate God’s loving involvement in our lives as pictured by Paul in the Romans 8 passage, pages 2-6—2-7.
STEP SIX: EXPERIENTIAL CLOSING (5 MINUTES) Invite your class to sit quietly for a moment and focus on principles taught in the first three petitions: Reverencing His Name, Pleading for His Kingdom to Come, and Submitting to His Will. Ask them to silently reflect upon their present reality and the possibility that they may need Christ to help them “close the gap” between where they are and where
He desires them to be regarding the three petitions. The “baseball game” scale on Lesson Notes may be helpful. After giving them time for some private reflection, ask them to stand and read aloud together the Lord’s Prayer. This time, call their attention to the New Living Translation (NLT) version on their handout: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13, NLT) As you dismiss, remind them of “Daily Reflections” on their handout and invite everyone to return for next week’s lesson: “Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part Two.”
LESSON NOTES BLANKS: The First Petition: Reverencing His Name Hallowed means to regard as different. Name refers to the nature, character, and personality of God. The Second Petition: Pleading for His Kingdom to Come Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God from three perspectives: The past The present The future The Third Petition: Submitting to His Will God’s Kingdom cannot be established in the hearts of people who are unwilling to wholeheartedly submit their will to His.
2-14 Lesson Plan
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Lesson 2
Growing Wise
Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes Matthew 6:9-13 Address:
Today’s Scriptures
Our Father in heaven,
Petition 1:
Hallowed be your name (or may your name be hallowed),
Petition 2:
(May)* your kingdom come,
Petition 3:
(May)* your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Petition 4:
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 Petition 6: one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Benediction: (found only in later manuscripts).* Petition 5:
The First Petition: Reverencing His Name Hallowed means to regard as __________________________. Name refers to the _________________, _______________________, and _________________________ of God. The Second Petition: Pleading for His Kingdom to Come Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God from three perspectives: The ____________
Luke 11:2-4 (NIV) He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) 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.”
The _________________ The _______________ Reflect and discuss: 1. How might the world be different if God’s loving rule and sovereign authority were to be established on earth? 2. How might the lives of the lost be different if God’s Kingdom were established in you? The Third Petition: Submitting to His Will God’s Kingdom cannot be established in the hearts of people who are unwilling to wholeheartedly _______________ their will to His. If submission to God’s Will were a baseball game, where would you rank yourself currently? Where would you like to be? Not on the Team
On the Bench
Minor League
Major League
Hall of Fame
* Parenthetical words and phrases inserted by author. Not contained in original Bible passages.
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT) Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Next Week’s Lesson:
Lord, Teach Us to Pray— Part Two
Lesson Notes
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise Daily Reflections
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egin each daily reflection by meditating a few minutes on the suggested Scripture passage. Seek to listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you. Then consider the comments and questions about the passage. Be aware of both your thoughts and your feelings. Respond to God through both. Monday: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) Imagine being one of the disciples sitting and listening to Jesus pray. Do you suppose that you might say to yourself, “Wow, I wish I could pray like that”? Are you open to allowing Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to teach you to pray? Take time now to tell Christ about your heartfelt desire to learn from Him to pray. Remembering there is a difference in knowing how to pray and applying what you have learned, tell Jesus about your commitment to apply what He teaches you this week as you meditate upon the Lord’s Prayer. Tuesday: …“Our Father who is in heaven,….” (Matthew 6:9) Silently, read this passage several times. Then read it aloud, emphasizing the word “our.” Read it aloud, emphasizing the word “Father.” Finally, read it aloud giving emphasis to “heaven.” Imagine hearing Jesus pray this phrase. To which word do you imagine He gave emphasis? Is His intimacy with His Father obvious in the way He says, “Our Father”? Speak with God about your desire to more intimately converse with Him from an Abba-Child relationship. Wednesday: …“Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,….” (Matthew 6:9) How do your attitudes and actions demonstrate that you hallow, consider holy, or reverence God’s Name insofar as it has been revealed to you? Do your attitudes and actions indicate that you perceive His name to really be different from, separate from, and above all other names? Do your attitudes and actions show that you place His Name above your own name? Respond in prayer from both your heart and your mind with appropriate worship, confession, and commitment. Thursday: “…your kingdom come….” (Matthew 6:10) This is a petition for God’s kingly rule and authority to be established upon earth. Imagine an earth full of people totally submitted to our loving God’s rule and authority. How would it be different than our present reality? Imagine the Church Universal totally submitted to God’s caring leadership and rule. How would it be different than present reality? Imagine your heart totally submitted to God’s Kingship. How might that be different than your present reality? Pray now for His Kingdom to come in the world, in the church, and in you. Friday: “...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. …” (Matthew 6:10) After meditating upon this passage, consider Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father…not my will, but yours be done.” In what way do you see Jesus “walking His talk” here? How is He demonstrating trusting submission to His Abba, Father? When you look into your own soul, do you observe more rebellion against God than trusting submission to your Abba, Father? Respond honestly now from your heart to your Lord of Lords in worship, confession, and commitment.
Take-Home
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Lesson Notes
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TEACHER TO TEACHER
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n the late ‘70s, I sought a mentor or spiritual director who could help me begin to master the discipline of Christian meditation. I was directed by the Associate Pastor in my Southern Baptist church to an Episcopal pastor named Ed Abrahamson, who was widely recognized as a gifted spiritual director. One of the early assignments I received from Father Ed was to spend a week reflecting upon each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. So I spent an hour each day seeking to allow the Spirit to teach me about each phrase of the prayer. When I had finished working through the prayer as it is recorded in Luke, I worked through the rendition recorded by Matthew. Father Ed—like a good spiritual director always does—regularly asked me questions that led me to more meaningful insights and challenging applications to be lived out in my developing prayer life. Preparing to write this lesson has resurrected many wonderful memories of my time with Father Ed. It also has led me to a fresh understanding and again challenged me to integrate my new understanding into my current prayer disciplines.
AS YOU PREPARE
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s you prepare to teach this lesson, be encouraged to take the time to slowly meditate upon both Matthew’s version and Luke’s version of the prayer. I have placed them in parallel below as they appear in the NIV. However, please feel free to study them in your own favorite version of the Bible, too. Begin your meditation saying along with the original disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:2-4 Address
Father,
Our Father in heaven,
Petition 1
Hallowed be your name (May your name be hallowed),*
Hallowed be your name (May your name be hallowed),*
Petition 2
(May)* your Kingdom come.
(May)* your kingdom come, (May)* your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Petition 3 Petition 4
Give us each day our daily bread.
Give us today our daily bread.
Petition 5
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Petition 6
And lead us not into temptation.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Benediction
* h
Matthew 6:9-13
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (found only in later manuscripts).h
Parenthetical words added by author. Similar to passage found in the Didache 8:2—“for yours is the power and glory forever.”
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
To Teacher 2-1
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
STUDYING THE WORD TOGETHER
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he Spirit seemed to regularly prod me saying, “There is something more for you to discover about prayer.” After a few months of reading and unimaginative experiments, I called my friend Jim Zanios and asked him to meet me for lunch. He listened attentively as I described what I thought the Spirit was saying to me. Then I heard myself saying, “Jim, are there still Christian men who really know how to pray?” Jim smiled, nodded his head, and invited me to join him and about eight others who met to pray for one hour from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. each Thursday morning—even on Thanksgiving and Christmas! Some in the group were very successful businessmen; another was a renowned scientist at the Sandia National Defense Laboratory. One had served on the board of the Billy Graham Foundation and on the Executive Committee of Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship. I was out of my league professionally and socially. I arrived early the first Thursday and was warmly greeted. Sharply at 6:00 a.m. the men in the room knelt around a large conference table and begin to pray. They concluded just as sharply at 7:00. The first few weeks I didn’t pray aloud at all. I just listened. I was astounded at what I heard. These men prayed with power and authority. I knew the Lord had led me to this group and that He intended to use each one to teach me things that would help me move to the next level in my prayer life. With the exception of working with Ed Abrahamson, I had learned about prayer pretty much on my own. Now, I was really being taught to pray in a fresh new way. I learned by listening to these godly men pray. Then I prayed according to the patterns and models I recognized in their prayers.
LEARNING TO PRAY
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here appears in Luke 9:51-56 a brief, but very interesting passage that tells us about Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.
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Word Study
Jesus and the disciples wanted to pass through a small village, taking a short cut to Jerusalem. However, the Samaritan people in the village refused to let them pass through. The disciples were angry and wanted to destroy the whole village. We don’t know if they were angry because their trip to Jerusalem was lengthened or because the villagers rejected Jesus. The fact that they wanted to beseech God to destroy the people with fire from heaven, tells us that they perhaps were holding on to a distorted view of God based upon their understanding of how He had acted in Israel’s history. They apparently viewed Him as powerful, angry, and vengeful, particularly toward nonJews. The disciples had not yet learned to look at God as He was being revealed to them in the life of Jesus. By the way, a
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
footnote in the Christian Standard Bible tells us that later manuscripts show verse 55 reading, “But Jesus turned and rebuked them [the disciples] saying, ‘You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives but to save them.’” I believe that the disciples became aware of the difference in the way they perceived God and the way Jesus knew Him. They recognized a difference in the way they prayed and the way Jesus prayed. Perhaps this is what led them to ask Jesus to teach them to pray.
phrases not found in Luke. Matthew most likely was written between A.D. 70 and A.D. 90. Matthew used both Luke (written approximately A.D. 50) and Mark as sources for his Gospel. Luke’s version of the prayer more likely is nearer the original length. The more eloquent form found in Matthew probably is reflective of the way the prayer had evolved due to its use in the worship services of the very early church. These differences1 need not be viewed as problematic as far as the significance of the prayer is concerned. What matters is:
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
1. Jesus thought it important to teach His disciples a model prayer 2. It was a prayer that drew upon Jesus’ and His disciples’ Jewish heritage and marked out those who used it as followers of the Christ.
It was not unusual for a rabbi to teach his disciples a simple prayer that they often would pray, both privately and communally. We assume from this passage that John the Baptist probably taught his disciples such a prayer. Jesus’ disciples presumably had heard Him pray on many occasions. Just as His teaching was different than that of other teachers (Matt 7:29), I imagine Jesus’ prayers also were different than those the disciples were accustomed to hearing and praying. No wonder they wanted Him to teach them to pray! Jesus’ response to His disciples’ plea was what believers ever since have called The Lord’s Prayer.
The Two Versions of the Lord’s Prayer
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f you read the introduction to this lesson, you already are aware that there are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer recorded in the Gospels: one in Luke 11:24 and the other in Matthew 6:9-13. You also know that the versions are different in some respects. Matthew contains a number of clarifying 1
Notes
Whether taught by Jesus in two forms or used by the early Christians in two forms, it is indeed the same prayer and remains a living, adaptable form.
Six Petitions
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s indi cated in T E A C H E R T O TEACHER in the table showing the forms of the Lord’s Prayer in parallel, the model can be understood as containing six petitions. In this lesson, we will study the first three. The final three will be discussed in the next lesson. But let’s review all six petitions, using Matthew’s expanded form of the prayer (see chart on the following page). There are a few things I want you to notice as you review the six petitions. First, notice that the first three petitions are prayed on behalf of God’s Name, His Kingdom, and His Will. Then see that three petitions are offered not on behalf of the praying individual, but on behalf of the entire faith community: “give us,” “forgive us,” and “lead us.” It is as if we dare not ask for blessings for ourselves
Adapted from article titled “Prayer” by J. D. G. Dunn appearing in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels © 1992 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Word Study
2-3
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Growing Wise
Notes
Matthew 6:9-13 Address:
Our Father in heaven,
Petition 1:
Hallowed be your name (or may your name be hallowed),2
Petition 2:
(May)2 your kingdom come,
Petition 3:
(May)2 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Petition 4:
Give us today our daily bread.
Petition 5:
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Petition 6:
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Benediction:
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (found only in later manuscripts).2
that would set us apart from or give us advantage over our brothers and sisters in our faith community. This is a communal prayer and, as such, was used by the earliest church when she gathered to worship. Isn’t it interesting that the six petitions are divided into two sections: praying for things that concern God and praying for things of concern to man. This reminds me of the Great Commandments: Love the Lord, your God…and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-39). Now let’s give attention to the address and the first three petitions.
The Address teaches the His followers to J esus begin their prayers by addressing God as He did—from a personally intimate Father-Son or Abba-Child relationship.3 Father…Luke 11:2 Our Father who is in heaven… Mathew 6:9 Dunn finds this clearer in the Lukan form of the prayer. He states that Jesus’ use of Father “almost certainly reflects Jesus’ own style of addressing God and… also indicates Jesus’ intention that His
disciples should share in His own intimate sonship to God as Father.”4 T h i s i s n o t q u i t e a s o b vi o u s i n Matthew’s account where He says in a more stately form, “Our Father who is in heaven.” This form is more in line with the language of the Shemoneh Esreh, the Eighteen Benedictions that probably were known and used by Jesus. Each of the Eighteen Benedictions ended with a final “Blessed are you, Lord…” immediately followed by a descriptor like “who makes t h e d e a d a l i ve ,” “ wh o d e l i ght s i n repentance,” “who humbles the insolent,” or “who hears prayer.”5
The First Petition— Reverencing His Name
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he first petition in the Lord’s Prayer beseeched God to set apart His Name from all others—to make it holy. …Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. (Matthew 6:9) The word translated hallowed is part of the Greek verb hagiazesthai, which is connected to hagios. Hagios usually is rendered holy, but the basic meaning is
2
Parenthetical words and phrases inserted by author. Not contained in original Bible passages. You may find it beneficial to review Lesson One of this study. 4 J. D. G. Dunn, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. 5 See Commentary for this lesson for more information on prayer in Jesus’ time. 3
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Word Study
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise different or separate. Something which is hagios is different. A person who is hagios is separate from other people. So we might less formally pray, “Let God’s Name be treated differently than all other names” (Philip 2:9). Or we might pray “Give God’s Name an absolutely unique position” (Ps 138:2). There is something to add to this. “In Hebrew, the name does not mean simply the name by which a person is called…. The name means the nature, character or the personality of the person insofar as it is known or revealed to us.”6 For example, David writes in Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name will trust in you….” This passage means that those who know the nature and character of God will put their trust in Him. Hallowed means to regard as different. Name refers to the nature, character, and personality of God insofar as it has been revealed to us. So, “hallowed be your Name” means “enable us to give you, God, the unique place which your nature and character deserve.” There is a word in English which captures this idea and that word is reverence.7
The Second Petition— Pleading for His Kingdom to Come
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he Second petition is a plea for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Your kingdom come…. (Matthew 6:10)
Just as the opening address—“Our Father who us in heaven”—reflected forms of Jewish prayer found in the Eighteen Benedictions, this petition also resembles a Jewish prayer, the Qaddish, with which Christ is likely to have been familiar. The Qaddish says: “Exalted and hallowed be
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
his great name in the world, which he created according to his will. May he establish his kingdom in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the whole household of Israel, speedily and at a near time.”8 The Kingdom of God was an integral part of Christ’s teaching. Early in His public ministry Jesus declared, “…The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). Later He said, “…I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). Because J e sus i ncl u de d t he ple a f or God ’s Kingdom to come in this prayer and because the Kingdom of God is so central to His teaching, surely it is important for us to try to understand its meaning. It generally is recognized that the Kingdom of God as referred to in the Lord’s Prayer references God’s kingly rule in which He exercises His royal power and authority. Barclay views the second and third petitions of the Lord’s Prayer as Hebrew parallelism and, therefore, concludes that the Kingdom of God can be defined as “a society upon earth where God’s will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven.”9 The idea of the Kingdom of God was understood by Israel throughout her history. For example when interpreting a dream for King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel said, “…the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan 2:44). This is certainly a picture of a future eternal earthly kingdom in which God will rule.
Notes
debate as to whether the S cholars Kingdom of God as referred to by
Christ was past, present, or future. Jesus
6
William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study Series (Revised Edition): The Gospel of Matthew Volume 1, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1975, p. 205. 7 Barclay, p. 206. 8 J. D. G. Dunn. 9 Barclay, p. 211.
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Word Study
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Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
seems to present all three perspectives. In Luke 13:28 He tells His audience that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are in the Kingdom—possibly suggesting that the Kingdom existed prior to the birth of Jesus. Then in Luke 17:21 He says that the Kingdom of God “is within you,” indicating that it currently is present. Finally, Jesus instructs His disciples to pray for the future coming of the Kingdom (Matt. 6:10). It seems to me that Jesus’ teaching, when taken in its entirety, tells us that the Kingdom of God mysteriously exists within the believer. This has been true, is true, and will continue to be true. It also seems to me that the whole of Scripture teaches us that in His Second Advent, Christ will establish an earthly Kingdom (the New Jerusalem) and will reign over that kingdom eternally. By the way, in some later manuscripts the second petition reads, “May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.” This probably reflects that some of the early churches were concerned that the time remaining until the Second Advent seemed very distant, and thus they wanted to make the experience of the believer more contemporaneous. This substituted petition recognizes that the kingly rule of God and Christ is exercised through the Holy Spirit. When made a regular petition, it properly reflects the pray-er’s need to receive enabling grace in order to remain holy and pure.10 Nevertheless, our prayer simply might be this: “May your kingdom be established within me and within the church in this present time. And may you soon come to establish your eternal Kingdom on Earth.”
The Third Petition— Submitting to His Will
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he third petition is most certainly, as Barclay asserts, intended to be understood as an extension or clarification 10 11
of the second. In fact, some Bible interpreters prefer a structure of five petitions rather than six. Let’s look now at the third petition as a Hebrew parallelism: ...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) The first line in the pair calls for God to establish His Kingdom rule and authority. The second or parallel clarifying petition beseeches God to cause His Will to be done as perfectly on earth as it is perfectly done in heaven. The two ideas actually are inseparable. If I live under the rule and authority of God, it follows that I must give His Will preeminence over my own. This immediately brings to mind Christ’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22:42) God’s Kingdom cannot be established in the hearts of people who are unwilling to wholeheartedly submit their will to His. Said another way, when we fail to submit our will to the King of King’s authoritative Will, we are living in rebellion! I believe that the attitude of heart behind the submission is very important. One might submit because of a sense of defeated resignation. Or one may accept God’s Will with bitter resentment as one defeated by an enemy who is overwhelmingly strong. Neither case represents wholehearted submission to God’s Will.
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hristians can submit to God’s Will, knowing that the Real God 11 is caringly involved in their lives, full of wisdom and love. Paul expressed it this way: He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
J. D. G. Dunn You may find it helpful to review Lesson 3: “Knowing the Real God” in The Prayer God Always Answers: Lord, Make Me a Spiritual Parent at any Cost © 2005 by Casas Adobes Baptist Church, Tucson, AZ.
2-6 Word Study
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:32, 35, 37-39)
APPLICATION IDEAS AND QUESTIONS
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he biblical truths and principles in this lesson find their application in both our private and our communal prayers. As Roger Barrier has said so often in his sermons, “The heart attitudes of the pray-er make a real difference in the effectiveness of the prayer.” Responding to the following questions may suggest how we might work toward praying as Jesus taught us to pray. 1. Do my attitudes and actions suggest that I really do reverence God’s Name? Do I recognize that it is different
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
from, separate from, and above every other name—including my own? Do my attitudes and actions indicate that I may not view God as He really is? Would I be better able to pray from a Father-Son/Daughter or Abba-Child relationship if my heart perspective of God were more biblically accurate?
Notes
2. How has the Kingdom of God already made a difference in the world, in my church, and in me? Do my prayers suggest that I am longing for the Kingdom of God to come to the world, to the Universal Church, to Casas, and to me? Am I prepared to let the coming of the Kingdom begin with me—at any cost? Am I ready to endure the “cross of sanctification” in order to make a place for the Kingdom in my heart? 3. Living in the present manifestation of the Kingdom of God means that I must submit to the rule and authority of the King of Kings. Am I too selfreliant, selfish, or self-condemning to be able to truly and humbly say with Christ, “Father…not my will, but yours be done”? Am I secure enough in His love for me that I can trust Him to meet my needs and act in my best interest?
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Word Study
2-7
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise COMMENTARY
PUBLIC PRAYER IN THE SYNAGOGUE
D
uring the time of Jesus, synagogue s er vi ce s wer e hel d t hr ee or perhaps four times on the Sabbath. The normal pattern of the synagogue service appears to have included the recital of several prayers: the Shema (a combination of Dt 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Nu 15:37-41); the Shemoneh Esreh (the Eighteen Benedictions), a lengthy and elaborate corporate prayer (offered while standing); and the reading and interpretation of Scripture, perhaps on the basis of a lectionary. There is no comment about these matters in any of the Gospels. The worship of the early church tended to carry on the worship practices of the synagogue. While that affinity is chiefly the result of factors other than Jesus’ own precept and example, it is hard to imagine the early church carrying on a form of worship so reminiscent of the synagogue if Jesus Himself had condemned such worship. In this instance the argument from silence seems compelling.1
THE EIGHTEEN BENEDICTIONS
T
hese eighteen (really nineteen) benedictions are mentioned in the Mishna. We are distinctly told that they were ordained by the one hundred and twenty elders of the Great Synagogue and we know that the representatives of the people recited them in the Temple every day, that the priests pronounced three of them upon the people every morning in the Hall of Squares in the Temple Court,
and that the High Priest prayed the sixteenth and the seventeenth sections of this litany on the Great Day of Atonement. Therefore there can be no doubt that our Savior and His apostles joined in these p r a yer s whe n t h e y r es o rt ed t o t he synagogue, and that when the apostles went on the top of the house to pray at the stated hour (Acts 1:13; 10:9), these b en ed i ct i on s f or me d p ar t o f t hei r devotions. The text of the Eighteen Benedictions as they were published in McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia 2 as originally published between 1867-1887 (note the King James English) follows: 1. “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; great, omnipotent, fearful, and most high God, who bountifully showest mercy, who art the possessor of all things, who rememberest the pious deeds of our fathers, and sendest the Redeemer to their children’s children, for his mercy’s sake is love, O our King, Defender, Savior, and Shield! Blessed art thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham!” 2. “Thou art powerful, O Lord, world without end; thou bringest the dead to life in great compassion, thou holdest up the falling, healest the sick, loosest the chained, and showest thy faithfulness to those that sleep in the dust. Who is like unto thee, Lord of might, and who resembles thee (a Sovereign killing and bringing to life again, and causing salvation to flourish)? Arid
1
Adapted from Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels © 1992 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. All rights reserved. 2 From McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
2-8 Commentary
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Growing Wise thou art sure to raise the dead. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who raisest the dead!” 3. “Thou art holy, and thy name is holy, and the holy ones praise thee every day continually. Blessed art thou, 0 Lord, the holy God!” 4. “ T h o u m e r c i f u l l y b e s t o w e s t knowledge upon men and teachest the mortal prudence. Mercifully bestow upon us, from thyself, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who mercifully bestowest knowledge!” 5. “Our Father, lead us back to thy law; bring us very near, O our King, to thy service, and cause us to return in sincere penitence into thy presence! Blessed art thou, O Lord, who delightest in repentance!” 6. “Our Father, forgive us, for we have sinned; our King, pardon us, for we have transgressed; for thou art forgiving and pardoning. Blessed art thou, O Lord, merciful and plenteous in forgiveness!” 7. “Look at our misery, contend our cause, and deliver us speedily, for thy name’s sake, for thou art a mighty deliverer, blessed art thou, O Lord, the deliverer of Israel!” 8. “Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed; save us, and we shall be saved; for thou art our boast. Grant us a perfect cure for all our wounds; for thou, O Lord our King, art a faithful and merciful Physician. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who healest the sick of thy people Israel!” 9. “Bless to us, O Lord our God, for good this year, and all its kinds of produce; send thy blessing upon the face of the earth; satisfy us with thy goodness, and bless this year as the years bygone. Blessed art thou, O
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Lord, who blessest the seasons!” 10. “ C a u s e t h e g r e a t t r u m p e t t o proclaim our liberty; raise the standard for the gathering of our captives, and bring us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who gatherest together the dispersed of Israel!”
Notes
11. “Reinstate our judges as of old, and our councillors as of yore; remove from us sorrow and sighing; and do thou alone, O Lord, reign over us in mercy and love, and judge us in righteousness and justice. Blessed art thou, O Lord the King, who lovest righteousness and justice!” 12. “Let the apostates have no hope, and let those who perpetrate wickedness speedily perish; let them all be suddenly cut off; let the proud speedily be uprooted, broken, crushed, and humbled speedily in our days. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who breakest down the enemy and humblest the proud!” 13. “On the righteous, on the pious, on the elders of thy people, the house of Israel, on the remnant of the scribes, on the pious: proselytes, and on us, bestow, O Lord our God, thy mercy; give ample: reward to all who trust in thy name in sincerity, make our portion with them forever, and let us not be ashamed, for we trust in thee! Blessed art thou, O Lord, the support and refuge of the righteous!” 14. “To Jerusalem thy city in mercy return, and dwell in it according to thy promise; make it speedily in our day an everlasting building, and soon establish therein the throne of David. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who buildest Jerusalem! The branch of David, thy servant, speedily cause to flourish, and exalt his horn with thy help, for we look to thy
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Commentary 2-9
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
help all day.” “Blessed art thou O Lord, who causest to flourish the horn of David!” (Two benedictions are combined here.) 15. “Hear our voice, O Lord our God; have pity and compassion on us, and receive with mercy and acceptance our prayers, for thou art a God hearing prayer and supplications. Our King, do not send us empty away from thy presence, for thou hearest the prayers of thy people Israel in mercy! Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hearest prayer!” 16. “Be favorable, O Lord our God, to thy people Israel, and to their prayer; restore the worship to thy sanctuary, receive lovingly the burnt-sacrifice of Israel and their prayer, and let the service of Israel thy people be always well-pleasing to thee. May our eyes see thee return to Zion in love. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who restorest thy Shechinah to Zion!” 17. “We thankfully confess before thee that thou art-the Lord our God, and the God of our fathers, world without end, and that thou art the shepherd of our life and the rock of our salvation from generation to generation; we render thanks unto thee and celebrate thy praises. Blessed art thou, O Lord, whose name is goodness, and whom it becomes to praise!” 18. “Bestow peace, happiness, blessing, grace, mercy, and compassion upon us and upon the whole of Israel, thy people. Our Father, bless us all unitedly with the light of thy countenance, for in the light of thy countenance didst thou give to us, O Lord bur God, the law of life, loving-kindness, justice, blessing, compassion, life, and peace. May it please thee to bless thy people Israel at all times, and in every moment,
2-10 Commentary
with peace. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who blessest thy people Israel with peace!”
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
T
he “Kingdom of God” is one of the most remarkable ideas and phrases of all time, having begun to be used very near the beginnings of history and continuing in force down to the present day. Its use by Jesus is by far its most interesting aspect—for, in the Synoptics at least, it is His watchword. Thus in Matthew 4:23, the commencement of the ministry is described in these words: “And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people.” And somewhat later, in Luke 8:1, the expansion of His activity is described in the following terms: “And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good tidings of the kingdom of God, and with him the twelve.” When the Twelve are sent forth by themselves in Luke 9:2, the purpose of their mission is given in these words: “And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” In Matthew 13:11, the parables, which formed so large and prominent a portion o f H i s te ac hi n g, ar e d e no mi n ate d collectively “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”; and it will be remembered how many of these commence with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like.” In these quotations, and in others which might easily be adduced, it will be observed that the phrases “the kingdom,” “the kingdom of God,” and “the kingdom of heaven” are used interchangeably. The last of the three, “the kingdom of heaven,” is confined to the first Gospel, which does not, however, always make use of it; and it is not certain what may have been the reason for the substitution. The simplest explanation would be that heaven is a name for God, as, in the parable of the
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise Prodigal Son, the penitent says, “I have sinned against heaven,” and we ourselves might say, “Heaven forbid!” It is not, however, improbable that the true meaning has to be learned from two petitions of the
3
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Lord’s Prayer, the one of which is epexegetic of the other, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Here the disciples are instructed to pray that the kingdom of God may come.3
Notes
From International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft.
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Commentary 2-11
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes RESOURCES NEEDED: 2-sided copies of Lesson Notes / Take-Home pages Pencils or pens for each person Dry erase markers and marker board or felt tip markers and a flip chart
TIME FRAME:
Growing Wise
SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN NOTE TO TEACHER: This suggested lesson plan contains many elements that, if employed, will help maximize learning for life-change in your Bible Fellowship. If you are an experienced teacher, you have freedom to create your own plan based upon the “Studying the Word Together” section. If you are less experienced, we suggest that you “stick to the plan.” However, even less-experienced teachers should feel free to modify the plan based upon the needs of their Bible Fellowship. This plan is designed to be presented in 45 minutes. It is important, therefore, that you carefully plan your presentation so that you communicate the main points with brevity and clarity.
Focal Scriptures: Luke 11:2-4 Matthew 6:9-13
Teaching Goals: Learn: Department members develop a clear understanding of the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and know how to apply the related truths in their personal and corporate prayer lives. Experience: Experience praying the Lord’s Prayer in community from an Abba-Child relationship.
45 minutes
Before Class Begins: Distribute handouts. Write phrases from Lesson Notes on the board, so that as you teach you may fill in the blanks.
STEP ONE: GETTING READY TO LEARN (3 MINUTES)
Begin your class by telling them that you will begin a two part lesson today on the Lord’s prayer. Tell them that it is a prayer that has its origin with Christ and was used in the w o r sh i p s er vi ce s of t h e e ar l y Christian churches. Mention that it would have been customary for people to stand while praying the Lord’s Prayer together. Ask your class to stand and read aloud together the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV). Refer them to their handout or their New International Version of the Bible.
STEP TWO: LEARNING TO PRAY (7 MINUTES) Summarize the Luke 9:51-56 passage and call attention to the difference between the disciples’ desire for retribution against the people of the Samaritan village and Jesus’ response. Help your classmates recognize the disciples’ misperception of God’s character as well as their growing understanding of His grace. As you introduce the Luke 11:1 passage, “tell the story” of the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Briefly share with them what
2-12 Lesson Plan
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Growing Wise you imagine it would have been like to hear Jesus pray and what it must have been like to receive firsthand the model prayer directly from the Master Teacher. Quickly mention the two versions of the Lord’s prayer (reference their Lesson Notes), and that our study will focus on the longer version from Matthew’s gospel. Refer your class to the petition chart on their handout. Explain the structure of the prayer as it is recorded in Matthew: address, six petitions (three prayed on behalf of God and three p r a ye d o n b eh al f of t he f ai t h community), and benediction. Tell your class that you are going to cover the first three petitions this week and the last three next week.
STEP THREE: THE ADDRESS AND THE FIRST PETITION— REVERENCING HIS NAME (5 MINUTES) Explain that the address (Our father) encouraged the disciples to approach God from a personally intimate, Father-Son / Abba-Child relationship. Introduce the first petition and discuss the meaning of hallowed (Lesson Plan blank: different). To facilitate the learning process, solicit a few of their definitions before presenting the lesson’s information. Explain that name refers to God’s nature, character, and personality.
STEP FOUR: THE SECOND PETITION—PLEADING FOR HIS KINGDOM TO COME (15 MINUTES) Take a few moments to define the Kingdom of God for your class. Fill
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
in the blanks and explain the ideas of the Kingdom having existed in the past (before Jesus’ birth), in the p r e s e n t ( w i t h i n t h e d i s ci pl es individually and collectively —and within us and today’s Church), and in the future (upon Christ’s return, as an earthly kingdom). Divide them into groups of 3 or 4. Ask each group to discuss how the world might be different if God’s loving rule and sovereign authority where to be established on earth. Ask them to discuss how the lives of the lost would be different if God’s Kingdom were established in them. Take a moment to pray that God would give each of us the grace to m o r e e a r n e s t l y ye a r n f o r H i s Kingdom to come in us and in the rest of the world.
Notes
STEP FIVE: THE THIRD PETITION—SUBMITTING TO HIS WILL (10 MINUTES) Briefly discuss that the third petition is inseparable from the second (Hebrew parallelism). Those living under God’s kingly rule must submit to His Will, not live in rebellion to it. Ask your classmates, “Might we be able to do lip service to submitting to God’s Will, yet not truly submit? What might that look like?” As you develop this section, fill in the blank for Lesson Notes: wholeheartedly submit their will to His. Propose the idea that our greatest struggle in this area may be to desire to impose our will on God rather than submit our will to His—and that this in effect is rebellion and idolatry. Men tio n th at n eith er d ef eated resignation nor bitter resentment qualify as wholehearted submission. You might also explain that selfreliance, self-centeredness (selfishness), and self-condemnation discourage us
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Lesson Plan 2-13
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise
from submitting our will to God’s. Review Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane as the proper example: “Father…not my will, but yours be done.” Point out that Jesus was able to choose to submit to God’s Will because of the intimate Abba-Child relationship that He had with the Father; the Father had lovingly revealed His true nature, character, and personality (Name) to Jesus. Celebrate God’s loving involvement in our lives as pictured by Paul in the Romans 8 passage, pages 2-6—2-7.
STEP SIX: EXPERIENTIAL CLOSING (5 MINUTES) Invite your class to sit quietly for a moment and focus on principles taught in the first three petitions: Reverencing His Name, Pleading for His Kingdom to Come, and Submitting to His Will. Ask them to silently reflect upon their present reality and the possibility that they may need Christ to help them “close the gap” between where they are and where
He desires them to be regarding the three petitions. The “baseball game” scale on Lesson Notes may be helpful. After giving them time for some private reflection, ask them to stand and read aloud together the Lord’s Prayer. This time, call their attention to the New Living Translation (NLT) version on their handout: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13, NLT) As you dismiss, remind them of “Daily Reflections” on their handout and invite everyone to return for next week’s lesson: “Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part Two.”
LESSON NOTES BLANKS: The First Petition: Reverencing His Name Hallowed means to regard as different. Name refers to the nature, character, and personality of God. The Second Petition: Pleading for His Kingdom to Come Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God from three perspectives: The past The present The future The Third Petition: Submitting to His Will God’s Kingdom cannot be established in the hearts of people who are unwilling to wholeheartedly submit their will to His.
2-14 Lesson Plan
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Lesson 2
Growing Wise
Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes Matthew 6:9-13 Address:
Today’s Scriptures
Our Father in heaven,
Petition 1:
Hallowed be your name (or may your name be hallowed),
Petition 2:
(May)* your kingdom come,
Petition 3:
(May)* your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Petition 4:
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 Petition 6: one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Benediction: (found only in later manuscripts).* Petition 5:
The First Petition: Reverencing His Name Hallowed means to regard as __________________________. Name refers to the _________________, _______________________, and _________________________ of God. The Second Petition: Pleading for His Kingdom to Come Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God from three perspectives: The ____________
Luke 11:2-4 (NIV) He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) 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.”
The _________________ The _______________ Reflect and discuss: 1. How might the world be different if God’s loving rule and sovereign authority were to be established on earth? 2. How might the lives of the lost be different if God’s Kingdom were established in you? The Third Petition: Submitting to His Will God’s Kingdom cannot be established in the hearts of people who are unwilling to wholeheartedly _______________ their will to His. If submission to God’s Will were a baseball game, where would you rank yourself currently? Where would you like to be? Not on the Team
On the Bench
Minor League
Major League
Hall of Fame
* Parenthetical words and phrases inserted by author. Not contained in original Bible passages.
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT) Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Next Week’s Lesson:
Lord, Teach Us to Pray— Part Two
Lesson Notes
Lesson 2 Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Part One
Notes
Growing Wise Daily Reflections
B
egin each daily reflection by meditating a few minutes on the suggested Scripture passage. Seek to listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you. Then consider the comments and questions about the passage. Be aware of both your thoughts and your feelings. Respond to God through both. Monday: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) Imagine being one of the disciples sitting and listening to Jesus pray. Do you suppose that you might say to yourself, “Wow, I wish I could pray like that”? Are you open to allowing Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to teach you to pray? Take time now to tell Christ about your heartfelt desire to learn from Him to pray. Remembering there is a difference in knowing how to pray and applying what you have learned, tell Jesus about your commitment to apply what He teaches you this week as you meditate upon the Lord’s Prayer. Tuesday: …“Our Father who is in heaven,….” (Matthew 6:9) Silently, read this passage several times. Then read it aloud, emphasizing the word “our.” Read it aloud, emphasizing the word “Father.” Finally, read it aloud giving emphasis to “heaven.” Imagine hearing Jesus pray this phrase. To which word do you imagine He gave emphasis? Is His intimacy with His Father obvious in the way He says, “Our Father”? Speak with God about your desire to more intimately converse with Him from an Abba-Child relationship. Wednesday: …“Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,….” (Matthew 6:9) How do your attitudes and actions demonstrate that you hallow, consider holy, or reverence God’s Name insofar as it has been revealed to you? Do your attitudes and actions indicate that you perceive His name to really be different from, separate from, and above all other names? Do your attitudes and actions show that you place His Name above your own name? Respond in prayer from both your heart and your mind with appropriate worship, confession, and commitment. Thursday: “…your kingdom come….” (Matthew 6:10) This is a petition for God’s kingly rule and authority to be established upon earth. Imagine an earth full of people totally submitted to our loving God’s rule and authority. How would it be different than our present reality? Imagine the Church Universal totally submitted to God’s caring leadership and rule. How would it be different than present reality? Imagine your heart totally submitted to God’s Kingship. How might that be different than your present reality? Pray now for His Kingdom to come in the world, in the church, and in you. Friday: “...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. …” (Matthew 6:10) After meditating upon this passage, consider Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father…not my will, but yours be done.” In what way do you see Jesus “walking His talk” here? How is He demonstrating trusting submission to His Abba, Father? When you look into your own soul, do you observe more rebellion against God than trusting submission to your Abba, Father? Respond honestly now from your heart to your Lord of Lords in worship, confession, and commitment.
Take-Home
Helping People Close the Gap Through the Sunday Morning Experience
