Bible Commentaries
Matthew 6

Verse 6

Matthew 6:6

Prayer of Example

Matthew 6:6-13

Introduction:

1. Many call this the Lord’s prayer, but it is actually a prayer of example rather than one the Lord prayed.

2. It could more rightly be called, the disciple’s prayer.

3. Let us study it part by part.

1. "OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN

It might be said that the word Father used of God is a compact summary of the Christian faith.

A. The word “FATHER” settles our relationship to the Deity.

1. The heathen believed in many gods. The gods were jealous, grudging, and hostile.

2. They feared them and lived in terror lest they provoke them.

3. We can be happy that God Almighty has the heart of a Father. By coming to knowledge of the one God, we no long have to shiver before a hoard of gods; we can rest in a father’s love.

4. Illustration: of Emperor in victory parade, passes before his family, his son weasels his way past the legionary who tried to stop him. “He may be your Emperor, but he is my father!” [Barclay, Matthew, p. 203.]

B. It settles our relationship to our fellow man.

1. This recognizes the fatherhood of God.

a. He is Father by right of creation - Genesis 1:1

b. By right of preservation - Matthew 6:25-30.

c. By right of redemption - John 3:16-17.

2. If God is our spiritual Father, He is Father of all men who believe, hence all are our brothers. Notice the word “Our.”

3. Jesus said to sinners, "Ye are of your father the devil" John 8:44.

a. So how can sinners spiritually have God as their Father?

b. They cannot unless they are born again - John 3:3-5.

C. Notice no occasion of “I” or “me” or “my” but always “we” “us” and “our”. Jesus came to take the personal pronouns away from us.

D. “Father in heaven:”

1. This phrase also recognizes heaven - 2 Corinthians 5:1; John 14:1-4

2. “In heaven” implies his holiness; and his power.

2. "HALLOWED BE THY NAME."

A. To “hallow” is to treat a person or thing as holy.

1. But the basic meaning of holy or the Greek word hagios is “different” or “separate.”

2. A thing which is hagios is different from other things.

a. A person who is hagios is separate from other people.

b. So a temple is hagios because it is different from other buildings.

c. An altar was hagios because it exists for a purpose different.

d. The priest was hagios because he was separate from other men, he was to serve as a mediator between man and God.

1 Peter 2:9

3. So then, this petition means, “Let God’s name be treated differently from all other names; let God’s name be given a position which is absolutely unique.”

a. Let says, let God’s name be celebrated, venerated, and esteemed as holy everywhere.

b. This recognizes that God’s name must be reverenced -- Psalms 111:9.

Hebrews 12:28

4. Not only do some fail to reverence God’s name, but they show disrespect in an outright manner by taking it in vane - Exodus 20:7.

3. "THY KINGDOM COME."

A. The kingdom is the church -- Matthew 16:18-19.

B. Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom - John 18:36.

C. The kingdom was established during the lifetime of some of the disciples who lived 1900 years ago - Mark 9:1.

D. It was established on Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ - Acts 2.

5. Members of the church at Colosse were in the kingdom - Colossians 1:13.

a. This is true of Christians everywhere. Hebrews 12:28

b. Things equal to the same things are equal to each other.

6. This part of the prayer recognizes the church.

a. We cannot pray for it to come, because it has already come. But we can pray for it to grow and spread.

b. We can pray for it to come into the lives of more people, to come to those lost in sin.

4. "THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."

A. “Thy Will Be Done”

1. Here Jesus recognizes that God’s will has priority over any man’s will.

2. Jesus exemplified this principle in his own life - John 5:30; Matthew 26:39.

3. Man’s whole duty is to fear God and keep his commandments -- Ecclesiastes 12:13.

B. “On earth as it is in heaven.”

1. This part of the prayer is revolutionary. Henry Ward Beecher called it the "most fearful prayer" in all the world. Everyone knows that God’s will is obeyed perfectly in heaven. And we are told to pray for the same thing on earth. You say these words in prayer, but what would happened if God should answer it in detail immediately?

2. What would happen to your business? Your home? Your church relationship? Your thinking? Your speech? Your friendships? Your time? Your purse?

5. "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD."

A. This recognizes God as the provided and giver of material blessings --

1. Matthew 7:9-11;

2. James 1:17.

3. It also recognizes man’s dependence upon God - Philippians 4:19.

B. It tells us that God cares for our bodies.

1. Jesus showed us that: He spent so much time healing men’s diseases and satisfying their physical hunger.

2. In Mark 8:2-3 Jesus had compassion on the multitude because they had been with him three days and had nothing to eat. He would not send them away empty lest they faint along the way, so the miracle of feeding the four thousand ensued.

3. We do well to remember that God is interested in our bodies.

4. Any teaching which belittles, and despises, and slanders the body is wrong.

C. This teaches us to ask for our daily bread, for bread for the coming day.

1. It teaches us to live only one day at a time, and not to worry and be anxious about the distant and the unknown future.

2. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray this petition, he probably had in mind the story of the manna in the wilderness.

3. Exodus 16:1-21. The children of Israel were starving in the wilderness, and God sent them the manna, the food from heaven; but there was on condition– they must gather only enough for their immediate needs.

a. If any tried to gather too much, and to store it up, it went bad and rotted. They had to be satisfied with enough for one day at a time.

4. One of the teachings of the Rabbis from that story was this: “He who possesses what he can eat to-day, and says, “What shall I eat to-morrow?’ is a man of little faith.”

5. This petition tells us to live one day at a time. It forbids anxious worry which is so characteristic of the life which has not learned to trust God.

D. This petition also recognizes man’s dependence upon God.

1. It admits that it is from God we receive the food which is necessary to support life. Phil. 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

E. This petition also very wisely reminds us of how prayer works.

1. If a man prayed this prayer, and then sat back and waited for bread to fall into his hands, he would certainly starve.

2. It reminds us that prayer and work go hand in hand, that when we pray we must go on to work to make our prayers come true.

3. Dick Sheppard used to love to tell this story: A certain man inherited a plot of ground. New ground in a cove.

a. He worked for days clearing away brush and trees, moving stones, and then days more to plant a garden to build a house.

b. A friend came to visit him and was amazed and said, “It’s wonderful what God can do with a bit of ground like this isn’t it!”

c. “Yes,” said the man who had worked so hard, “but you should have seen this bit of ground when God had it to Himself!”

4. God’s bounty and man’s work must combine.

5. Prayer, like faith, without works is dead. When we pray this petition we are recognizing two basic truths– that without God we can do nothing, and that without our effort and co-operation God will do nothing for us.

6. "AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS."

1. This recognizes the reality of sin, the need of forgiveness from God, and the need of forgiving each other.

a. We are all guilty of sin. 1 John 1:8

2. We need forgiveness from God - John 8:21; Acts 8:22.

3. We need to forgiveness each other -- Matthew 6:14-15;

a. This is the only section of the prayer that Jesus elaborates upon.

b. Colossians 3:13

4. If God forgives us as we forgive our debtors, then how many of us stand forgiven in his sight?

7. "AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION"

1. Here we see a recognition of temptation. It is not an illusion: it is real.

2. God tempts no man - James 1:13.

a. Here we are asking God for strength to protect us from our own selves, and as the next phrase says, “From the Evil One.”

3. God will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear - 1 Corinthians 10:13 -- that is, if we pray to him and work with him and want a way of escape.

a. Can you truthfully pray for a way of escape?

8. "BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL" -- "THE EVIL ONE."

1. The ASV says “The Evil One”

2. Jesus recognized the reality of Satan, his work, and his influence -

2 Corinthians 2:11;

Ephesians 6:11;

Matthew 4:11.

a. Jesus Never made light of Satan, for he knew he existed.

3. "Resist the devil, and will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw night to you" - James 4:7-8.

CONCLUSION

1. The second part of this prayer, the part of it which deals with our needs, and our necessities, is marvelously organized.

a. It deals with the three essential needs of man, and the three spheres of time within which man moves.

2. FIRST, it asks for break, thereby asking for that which is necessary for the maintenance of life, and thereby brining the needs of present to the throne of God.

3. SECOND, it asks for forgiveness, thereby bring the past into the presence of God, and of God’s forgiving grace.

4. THIRD, it asks for help in temptation, thereby committing all our future into the hands of God.

5. In these 3 brief petitions, we are taught to lay the present, the past, and the future, all before the footstool of the grace of God.

6. What about YOUR past, present and future? Does God figure into them?

God can take care of it all, if you will yield yourself in obedience to His gospel.

Verse 25

Matthew 6:25

Why Be Anxious?

God, who give life - will sustain life.

v.25 "needlessness of worry"

v.26 "senselessness of worry"

v.28 "faithlessness of worry"

v.31 "excluselessness of worry"

v.32 "heathenness of worry"

v.33 seek with all might

Verse 26

Matthew 6:26

See note at Matthew 6:25

Verse 33

Matthew 6:33

Seek first -- See Hebrews 10:25 for note on "Attendance"