Old Testament Reading: Psalm 141

“A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol. But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (Psalm 141, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 11:1-4

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation’” (Luke 11:1–4, ESV).

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

I would like to begin this sermon by reminding you of the two great commandments stated in Luke 10:27. These two commandments summarize the whole of God’s law. What are they? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, ESV).

And I wonder if you can remember from the previous sermon how strongly I feel that the Parable of the Good Samaritan (as told in Luke 10:30-37) is to be linked to the second great commandment and the story about Mary and Martha (as told in Luke 10:38-42) is to be linked to the first great commandment. These stories – one, a parable, and the other historical – reveal what the great commandments require. What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? The parable of Good Samaritan obviously provides an answer. And what does it mean to love God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind? Well, the story about Mary and Marth has something to teach us about that.  I’ve reminded you of these things in the introduction to this sermon because I think this teaching about prayer is to be linked to the first great commandment too. 

The true Christian will strive to love God with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind. But the question is, what will this involve? What will it look like in practice? Will it involve service? Yes, no doubt. Will it involve obedience to God in the whole of life? Yes, certainly. But I do believe that the story about Mary at the feet of Jesus and this teaching about prayer that we will be considering today push us to see that love for God does not begin with service but with communion. Those who love God will commune with him. Those who love God will relate to him through Christ Jesus. Those who love God will be eager to hear and receive his Word. Those who love God will also speak to him through prayer. 

I should remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of what the first and greatest commandment actually says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind (Luke 10:27, ESV). The greatest commandment is not, you shall dutifully obey your God. Neither does it say, you shall faithfully serve your God. No, God’s law is summed up with the word love. Yes, God is to be obeyed. God is to be served. But he is to be obeyed and served in love. The words, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, intensify the point. The thing that God desires from his people is not dutiful, heartless service and obedience, but love.   

And so I ask you, dear friends, do you love God? Do you long to know him, to hear his Word, and to speak with him in prayer? Do you long to commune with God? Do you obey him and serve him because you love him? Or is your obedience heartless and merely dutiful?  

It was in the previous sermon that we considered the story of Mary and Martha and stressed the importance and supreme goodness of receiving God’s Word by sitting at the feet of Jesus, as Mary did. Today, we will turn our attention to prayer. Those who love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind will love to hear God’s Word and they will also love to speak to God in prayer. 

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A Few Observations About Jesus And His Disciples Concerning Prayer

One, Jesus was a man of prayer. “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place…” (Luke 11:1, ESV), the text says. 

Two, the disciples of Jesus were men of prayer. “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1, ESV). Does this now sow that they were men of prayer who wished to pray better?

Three, Jesus assumed his disciples would pray. “And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say…” (Luke 11:2, ESV). It was not if you pray, but when. 

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The Lord’s Prayer, A Model Prayer

Let us now consider the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Luke’s gospel. Jesus spoke to his disciples saying, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:2–4, ESV)

Clearly, the Lord’s prayer is a model prayer. It provides followers of Christ with a pattern to follow. It is like an outline for prayer. It is a purposefully ordered list of subjects to be prayed for. 

Consider what the Lord’s Prayer is not.  

One, it is not a prayer that Jesus himself prayed. Never did Christ pray for the forgiveness of his sins, for he had none. The name we have given to this prayer can be misleading. We call it the Lord’s Prayer not because Jesus prayed this prayer himself, but because he gave it to his disciples as a model prayer. 

Two, the Lord’s Prayer is not meant to be merely recited. Now granted, there is nothing wrong with reciting the Lord’s Prayer. We will do this very thing together later in our worship. And it may be that you sometimes simply recited the Lord’s Prayer. Perhaps you will find yourself in a difficult situation where you need to pray but you do not know what to pray. You would do well to recite the Lord’s Prayer. Lastly, the Lord’s Prayer may be recited by children or others new to the faith as they begin to learn to pray. These are legitimate uses of the Lord’s Prayer. But the Lord’s Prayer was given not to be recited word for word, but to function as a guide. Each petition is to be expanded upon. Each phrase is an invitation to linger a while and to pray about a certain subject. 

Three, the Lord’s Prayer is not the only prayer we are ever to pray. By this I mean, the follower of Jesus is not obligated to pray through each petition of the Lord’s Prayer every time he or she prays. Sometimes we simply need to cry out to God about some concern. It is not wrong to get to the point in situations like these. And perhaps you have noticed that not every prayer offered up in corporate worship strictly follows the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer. Different prayers are offered up according to different themes at different themes in the worship service, and this is good and right. But ordinarily, when we pray in private, we ought to pray according to the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. And the various prayers that are offered up in corporate worship ought to follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer when considered in total.

Perhaps you noticed that the Lord’s Prayer recorded in Luke’s Gospel is slightly different from the one recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. I think this supports the idea that Jesus intended this prayer, not to be recited from memory, but to function as a model. The Lord’s Prayer in Luke’s Gospel is a bit shorter. 

There are four main differences: One, in Matthew, we are taught to pray to “Our Father in heaven”. In Luke, we are simply taught to say “Father”. Of course, it is assumed that when we pray, we are praying, not to angels or men, but to God. So “Father” is clearly a reference to “our Father in heaven.” Two, Matthew says, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Luke only says, “Your kingdom come.” The phrase, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” is not found. So you can see that the version of the Lord’s Prayer found in Luke is shorter. But the substance is really the same. When we pray to God saying, “your kingdom come”, our desire is to see the will of our King accomplished on earth as in heaven. “Your will be done” is implied in the phrase “your kingdom come.” What is implied in Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is made explicit in Matthew’s version. Three, Matthew says, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”, whereas Luke says, “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” The differences are minor. The meaning is the same.  Four, Matthew says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”, whereas Luke only says, “And lead us not into temptation.” Again, Luke’s version is shorter but the meaning is the same. 

One question we should ask is, why are there different versions of the Lord’s Prayer? It must be that Christ taught people to pray on different occasions and when he taught them to pray he did not always use the exact same words. The prayer found in Luke is briefer than the prayer found in Matthew but the substance and pattern of the prayers are the same.

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The Lord’s Prayer, Its Petitions

Let us now consider the Lord’s Prayer as it is given to us by Luke.

Father 

“And he said to [his disciples], ‘When you pray, say: Father…” Do not overlook the significance of this name. It was not unheard of prior to the arrival of Christ to refer to God as Father but neither was it common. When Christ taught his disciples to pray, Father, he brought this name or title for God to the forefront and gave it prominence. Jesus prayed to God as Father. For example, in John 17:1 we read, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (John 17:1–2, ESV). 

Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father and he taught his people – those united to him by faith – to pray to God as Father because in him we are adopted sons and daughters. God is not our Father by nature on account of sin. But if we are united to Christ by faith, God is our Father by way of redemption and adoption. When you pray to God as Father, it should prompt you to remember that God is your creator and sustainor. More than this, it should remind you that God is your redeemer. He has shown grace to you. He has sent a Savior, Christ the Lord. He has removed the guilt of your sin, washed you clean, and clothed you with Christ’s righteousness. He has set you free from the domain of darkness and has transferred you into the kingdom of his beloved Son. More than this, he has reconciled you to himself and has adopted you into his eternal family. This is what Paul had in mind when he wrote these words: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15, ESV). 

When you pray to God as Father, these truths should come to your mind. These truths must also warm your heart. If you are in Christ Jesus, friends, it is because God has set his love upon you. He has been merciful and gracious to you. He has reconciled you to himself. And so we are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV). 

Think of all that one word, “Father”, communicates. Do not utter that word carelessly or thoughtlessly. When we address God as “Father” it should deeply affect our minds and our hearts leading us to approach God with reverential fear, yes, but also with warmth and affection. Imagine a king’s chamber and a great king seated on his throne.  The way that a lowly servant approaches the king and the way that the king’s child approaches him will be very different. I’m afraid that many Christians approach the throne of grace like lowly servants. They have forgotten that they have been adopted as sons and daughters. No doubt, this hinders them from approaching the throne of grace with the boldness that is ours in Christ Jesus.

Baptist Catechism 107 asks, What doth the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? Answer: “The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven,’ teacheth us to draw near to God, with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.”

Hallowed Be Your Name

The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “hallowed be your name.” This is the first petition for good reason. When we approach God in prayer, it is right for us to begin by blessing his holy name. It is right that we give praise to him for his nature and perfections. It is right that we give thanks and praise to him for the kindness that he has shown to us. It is right that we pray his name would be hallowed – glorified, exulted, and praised – by others too. The first petition, “hallowed be your name”, should prompt is to give thank and praise to God ourselves, and to pray that others would give thanks and praise to him too. We should pray for things like this: Lord, move my wife and children to give praise to you. Bless my brothers and sisters in Christ to live for your glory. Bless us as we assemble this Lord’s Day that you would be exulted within our congregation. Be exalted in other churches too. Be exulted to the ends of the earth, etc. 

Baptist Catechism 108 asks,  What do we pray for in the first petition? Answer: In the first petition, which is “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He makes Himself known, and that He would dispose all things to His own glory. 

Your Kingdom Come

The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “Your kingdom come.” This is the second petition for good reason. After praying that God be glorified, we are to pray that his kingdom advance and prosper. How does God’s kingdom advance on earth? Through the preaching the Word of God as the Spirit works. And what does it look like for God’s kingdom to advance? Sinners turn from their sins and to Christ. These are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are to be taught to observe all that Christ has commanded. This includes participation in the Lord’s Supper. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be administered by the church, particularly Pastors or elders. So then, the expansion and building up of God’s kingdom on earth is made visible when Christ’s church expands, grows, and flourishes.    

What then should you pray for under the petition, “your kingdom come”? Many things. Pray that the gospel be proclaimed to the non-believing world. Pray tat workers be sent out into the harvest, for the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray that men and women, boys and girls, come to repentance and faith. Pray that they be baptized and join the church according to the commands of Holy Scripture. Pray that the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is administered faithfully to these and that the truth of the word of God is faithfully preached so that the church of Christ is built up strong and true. Pray for your pastors and elders. Pray for you deacons. Pray for your fellow church members. Pray for the unity and health of the church. Pray for other churches. Pray for church planters. 

As I have said, Matthew’s account of the Lord’s prayer follows the petition, “Your kingdom come” with a third petition, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. The wills of kings are to be obeyed in their kingdoms. We are to pray that God’s hidden will be accomplished and that we will surrender to it with contentment. Furthermore, we are to pray that we, as his redeemed people, would obey God’s revealed will. In Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer the petition, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is stated. In Luke, it is implied in the petition, “you kingdom come.”

Baptist Catechism 109 asks, What do we pray for in the second petition? Answer: In the second petition, which is “Thy kingdom come,” we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened. 

Baptist Catechism 110 asks. What do we pray for in the third petition? Answer: In the third petition, which is, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,” we pray that God by His grace would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. (Matt. 6:10; Ps. 103:20,21; Ps. 25:4,5; Ps. 119:26)

Give Us Each Day Our Daily Bread

The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke, and the fourth in Matthew, is “Give us each day our daily bread.” Here we are prompted to pray for earth provisions. That we are instructed to pray for earthly provisions shows us that is concerned to provide us with the things needed for life on earth. We may pray to God for good, honest work and the health, skill, and wisdom to do it. We may pray to God for peace and prosperity in our state and nation so that life would flourish here. I believe it is under this petition that we should pray “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:2, ESV). Most basically, we are to pray that God would provide us with adequate resources – money, food, clothing, and shelter – under the petition, “Give us each day our daily bread.” And do not forget that we are to pray, not only for ourselves but others too. We should intercede on behalf of others under every petition including this one. 

Baptist Catechism 111 asks, What do we pray for in the fourth petition? Answer: In the fourth petition, which is, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy His blessing with them.

Forgive Us Our Sins As We Forgive

The fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke, and the fifth in Matthew is, “and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” Here we are prompted to confess our sisn to God. Of course, it is not just confession that is required but true repentance. To confess your sins to God is to admit them. To repent is to admit your sins and to turn from them resolved to walk in new obedience. Do not merely confess your sins, brothers and sisters. Turn from them and to Christ. Turn from them and walk in obedience to God’s law.  

It is under this petition that we are also prompted to forgive others as we have been forgiven. Whenever I consider this petition of the Lord’s prayer I am reminded of the parable of the unforgiving servant that is told in Matthew 18:21 and following. There in that parable, Christ warns his disciples of the sin of unforgiveness. Those forgiven much are expected to forgive much.  The Lord’s Prayer helps us with this. 

Question 112 of the Baptist Catechism asks, What do we pray for in the fifth petition? Answer: In the fifth petition, which is, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask because by His grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others. 

Forgive Us Our Sins As We Forgive

The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke, and the sixth in Matthew is, “And lead us not into temptation.” Matthew’s version adds, “but deliver us from evil.”

Baptist Catechism 113 asks, What do we pray for in the sixth petition? Answer: In the sixth petition, which is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.

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Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters, it is my opinion that the story about Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus to listen to his teaching and this teaching from Jesus regarding prayer is presented by Luke at this place in his gospel to teach us something about what it means to love God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind. Will loving God involve serving God and others? Yes. But true love for God will involve more than dutiful obedience. Those who love God truly and from the heart will love Christ and his Word. Those who love truly and from the heart will love to commune with God through Christ in prayer.  

Do you love God’s word, friends? Do you feast upon it? And to you pray? Do you come to God the Father, through Christ the Son, and by the Spirit to pray?

You know, if you come to a pastor and ask for help with some spiritual ailment – depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, resentment, discontent, or some other thing — it is likely that your pastor will at some point ask you, having you been meditating upon the Word of God and have you been praying? Why do you think pastors frequently ask this question? Do pastors not know that life is complicated and that there might be other factors to consider? Yes, good pastors will be aware of other factors. But the truth remains that our spiritual health does flow from our communion with God. Generally speaking (and there are exceptions) when we are keeping our minds and hearts by filling them with the word of God and through prayer, spiritual health typically follows. 

Prayer, dear brothers and sisters, is one of the primary ways that we keep our souls pure before God. Does God accomplish things in the world through the prayers of his people? Yes, of course. God carries out his eternal and unchanging decree through means, and one of those means is prayer. Just as God works through our evangelism and our good deeds, so too God works through the prayers of his people which he has prepared beforehand (see Ephesians 2:8-10). But one of the most important things that happens in prayer is that our hearts and minds are changed 

It is hard to imagine someone praying through the Lord’s Prayer daily in a thoughtful, thorough, sincere, and faithful way living with a soul overrun by covetousness, misplaced priorities, fear, anxiety, pride, anger, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, or any other sin. Notice, I did not say that those who pray faithfully and fervently will not be tempted by these things. And neither did I say that they will not struggle with these things. But I did say, it is hard to imagine their soul bing overrun by these things. Prayer, dear brother and sisters, is means that God uses to accomplish his purposes in the world. And prayer is a means of grace for us. It is one of te primary things that God uses to save his people and to sanctify them further.        

We must be faithful in prayer. Some of you may now be coming to the realization that you are more like Martha than Mary. Martha loved the Lord, I do not doubt it. But she was too busy. She was distracted and anxious about many things. May the Lord help us to be first like Mary and then like Martha. May our love for God be shown, firstly, by sitting at the feet of Jesus to receive his word and to pray to our Father in heaven through him. Secondly, may we rise up from receiving the word and from prayer to serve God, Christ, and others as Martha did.