The Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15)
The Model Prayer
Matthew 6:9-15
We are presently in Jesus’ second point of His historic sermon.
Chapter 5 was GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS EXAMINED
Chapter 6 is FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS EXPOSED
It addresses the type of person who would seek
To counter his obvious sinfulness by pointing out his apparent goodness.
“I may be a murderer, but I do give to the poor”
To which Jesus reveals a very troubling point.
WHAT IF THE GOOD YOU DO ISN’T AS GOOD AS YOU THINK?
And thus far we have seen two examples.
Giving & Prayer
Last week He showed us two types of prayer
That are not pleasing nor acceptable to God.
1) The Magnificent Prayer of the Hypocrite
A prayer that sounded great, but that came from a corrupt, self-glorifying heart.
2) The Manipulative Prayer of the Gentile
A prayer that was meant to manipulate God to give the response they desired.
Jesus emphatically stated that both of those types of prayer are wrong,
And will not please God let alone produce a desired response.
But before Jesus moves on to His third illustration of hypocrisy, He takes just a moment to teach us what a good prayer looks like.
And He gives us what is definitely
One of the top two or three recited passages in all of Scripture.
It is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”
That is really not an accurate title.
The Lord’s prayer is found in John 17 when Jesus intercedes for us.
This is actually THE MODEL PRAYER
This is our Lord teaching us how to pray.
IT IS AMAZING
On one hand, it is so extremely simple that a child can memorize it and even understand it.
On the other hand, there is such substance to it that the greatest theological scholars of all time could never plumb the depths of it.
Every time I study it, I determine my prior understanding was insufficient.
Most will tell you that Jesus outlines 6 things that we should pray express
1) Adoration – “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by Your name.”
2) Submission – “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
3) Dependence – “Give us this day our daily bread”
4) Repentance – “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
5) Trust – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
6) Intercession – “Us” “Our”
And they will tell you that your prayer should contain these things as well.
But the more I study I realize that this prayer isn’t as simple
As just identifying 6 requests and then making sure
Those 6 requests find their way into my prayer as well.
(That way be to pray with the same routine that Jesus just condemned)
This prayer is obviously more than something to memorize.
This prayer does not serve as a checklist to make sure you get it all.
And you realize that Jesus isn’t just telling us what to pray for,
But is showing us the heart of a righteous man as he prays.
The Model Prayer is given as the answer to the hypocrites prayer.
In contrast to the self-glorifying prayer that manipulates God, Jesus calls for a God-glorifying prayer that trusts Him.
And so (as is common throughout His sermon)
Jesus is addressing the heart and motives of a man
As He reveals how a righteous man prays.
He is intending to reveal to you who you should be.
There are few things more revealing about a man than His prayer life,
And so Jesus shows us how a righteous man prays,
Therefore we can help determine whether or not I am a righteous man.
2 points
#1 CONCERNING GOD
Matthew 6:9-10
“Pray, then, in this way:”
Since the Hypocrites pray wrong in that they seek to glorify self.
Since the Gentiles pray wrong in that they seek to manipulate God.
This is how you should pray.
Luke 11:1-4 “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also 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 also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'”
According to Luke, this is what you should say.
And again that does not promote mindless memorization,
But it does reveal to us that there are certain aspects
That must be included in a righteous man’s prayer.
“Pray, then, in this way:”
(NOT WHAT YOU PRAY – BUY HOW YOU PRAY)
1) PRAY DESIRING GOD’S GLORY (9)
“Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
And certainly don’t miss how Jesus addresses Him.
He doesn’t call Him God.
He doesn’t call Him Lord.
Jesus addressed Him as “Father”
Jesus reveals that when we come to God
We come to Him as His children.
No different than a child runs to his earthly father,
So we also should freely and quickly run to our heavenly Father.
It is a term that signifies COMPASSION and also AVAILABILITY.
I can talk to my dad just about any time I want,
And that is the same type of point Jesus is making here.
WE ARE HIS CHILDREN
And then Jesus reveals the desire of His children.
“Hallowed be Your name.”
(don’t you like it when people brag on your dad?)
JESUS PRAYED
John 12:28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
“hallowed” translates HAGIAZO
It means “to make holy” or “to sanctify”
Jesus is saying that the desire of a righteous man
Is that God’s name be set apart, be revered,
And be glorified above every other name.
The Jews certainly understood this.
They wouldn’t even say the divine name.
They wouldn’t even speak the name of God, because they thought the name to be too holy to be spoken on human tongue.
Furthermore names were highly significant in Israel.
Isaiah means “Yahweh is Salvation”
Ezekiel – “Strengthened by God”
Abraham – “Father of a multitude”
And this was also true of God.
Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord Provides”
Jehovah Tsidkenu – “The Lord is our Righteousness”
Jehovah Rohi – “The Lord is our Shepherd”
Jehovah Shalom – “The Lord is peace”
Jehovah Mekadesh – “The Lord who sanctifies you”
Jehovan Nissi – “The Lord is our Banner”
Jehovah Rapha – The Lord is our Healer”
Jehovah Shamah – “The Lord is There”
And so when Jesus says that the righteous man
Prays for God’s name to be set apart,
It indicates for God to be glorified for who He is.
He is the provider – He is the healer – He is our righteousness – He is our shepherd
The righteous man desires for God to be magnified above all else
Because of who He is.
So the first question is:
DO YOU DESIRE THE WHOLE WORLD TO GLORIFY GOD?
DO YOU LONG FOR GOD TO BE GLORIFIED ABOVE EVERY OTHER?
(Is that evident in your prayer life?)
2) PRAY DESIRING GODS REIGN (10a)
“Your kingdom come”
One of the main desires of a true believer
Is that God will reign upon the earth.
2 Peter 3:11-13 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”
2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
It is the wicked man who resists the coming and the reign of Christ.
The righteous man knows that this world is rightly His.
The righteous man delights in serving this King.
It takes the previous desire one step further.
Not only does He desire for God to be glorified,
But he also desires for God to be served.
That is the desire of a righteous man, IS IT YOUR DESIRE?
(Is it evident in your prayer life?)
Desiring God’s glory Desiring God’s reign
3) PRAY DESIRING GOD’S WILL (10b)
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
In one sense this is quite simple to understand.
The righteous man wants God to have His way
Without any resistance whatsoever.
He wishes that people obeyed God here as quickly as they do in heaven.
In heaven there is no delay.
In heaven there is no grumbling.
In heaven there is no resistance.
The righteous man whishes it was that way on earth.
BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT THAN THAT.
The will of God is quite a confusing and tricky issue.
Think about it.
Is God’s will always done?
(You say – YES) Then why are you to pray for it to happen?
(You say – NO) Then is someone thwarting Him?
It’s tricky.
And I am not going to pretend to fully understand it myself,
Let alone be able to make you understand it.
BUT LET ME TRY AND HELP.
On one hand there is GOD’S VOLITIONAL WILL. There are things that absolutely will happen just as God desires regardless of the opposition.
1) Christ will return and reign.
2) Satan will be defeated.
3) The Elect will be gathered to Christ.
4) The wicked will be punished in hell for all eternity.
Then of course we have GOD’S PERMISSIVE WILL. Those things that He obviously does not delight in, yet He permits them happen. (They obviously do not thwart His eternal plan, but they are not His desire at all)
1) The sinfulness of man (God gave them over…)
2) The death of the wicked (“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked”)
3) The suffering of His people
But it also seems we have GOD’S DESIRED WILL. which are obviously seen in His commands. They are those things that God would will that you do, but obviously does not make happen.
1) That you love one another
2) That you abstain from sexual immorality
3) That you give to the poor
The reason this will is not accomplished
Is because there is a lack of righteousness in the world.
And the righteous man prays for this will to be accomplished.
He prays for sinners to repent.
He prays for the righteous to obey.
This is what Paul said:
Romans 1:5 “through [Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”
And this is the desire of a righteous man, that all men
(including myself) would do what God wants.
IS THAT YOUR DESIRE?
(Is it evident in your prayer life?)
The righteous man points his prayer to God and prays
That God would be glorified, that God would reign,
And that God’s will be done by all.
Concerning God
#2 CONCERNING MAN
Matthew 6:11-15
We are no longer praying for things concerning God,
But we are now praying for things concerning man.
And as I alluded to earlier, don’t miss the implied INTERCESSION here.
Jesus doesn’t just personal pronouns “Give me this day”
Jesus uses plural pronouns “Give us this day”
Just as the first half of this prayer revealed a love for God,
The second half reveals a love for man.
And again we see how a righteous man prays.
1) PRAY NEEDING GOD’S PROVISION (11)
“Give us this day our daily bread”
The human body that God has given us, requires food to survive.
And while greed and gluttony can certainly be a problem,
Praying for sustenance is absolutely biblical.
But there is obviously more than that.
One would be foolish if he overlooked the use of the term “daily”
This is not a statement of greed.
This is a statement of trust.
Proverbs 30:7-9 “Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.”
Do you remember when God provided manna in the wilderness?
Enough for one day, and if they stored it beyond that, it ruined.
God was teaching them to depend upon Him every day.
THAT IS THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN
He isn’t manipulating God for riches…
He isn’t asking for carnal pleasures…
He is simply asking for God to provide what he needs in a way that will help
him maintain his focus on God.
He prays needing God’s provision
2) PRAY NEEDING GOD’S FORGIVENESS (12)
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Now we are obviously talking about the prayer of a righteous man,
And so this is not a prayer of salvation.
We are talking about a man who has already been justified by Christ.
SO WHY DOES HE PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS?
Do you remember when Jesus washed the disciples feet?
John 13:6-11 “So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Jesus knew that even the clean needed to get a spit bath periodically.
WHY?
Because sin affects our fellowship with God.
Are we broken off? – No.
Do we lose our salvation? – No.
Do we forfeit our right to pray? – No.
Those things are secured in the atonement of Christ.
But sin in our lives does hinder our fellowship with God.
It steals the joy.
It steals the fulfillment.
It hinders the communication.
And to understand it better all you have to do
Is pay attention to what Jesus said.
“forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Now, why do we forgive each other?
(obviously because Scripture commands it)
But in a practical sense, why do we forgive?
– to allow the relationship to function again.
Men has your wife ever been mad at you for no good reason?
You know that until forgiveness occurs the relationship will suffer.
You may still be married.
And divorce may not even be an option.
But the communication suffers.
So it is with God.
I’ve told people often, there are times when it is apparent to me
That there is something hindering my fellowship with God.
So I pray:
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
That is the idea here.
I need God’s forgiveness, not because I am in danger of hell,
But because I desire to walk with God and sin hinders that.
That is what John had in mind when he wrote:
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
A righteous man comes needing cleansing, needing forgiveness,
Because he longs to walk in fellowship with God.
And all that being said, it is also worth noting that in verses 14 & 15
Jesus gives added commentary on this point.
(14-15) “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
And don’t get your theology out of whack here.
This is not a means to forgiveness.
“if I forgive others, God will forgive me”
No. God will forgive you when you ask Him,
Based upon the payment Christ made at Calvary.
This is not a means to forgiveness.
Forgiving others does not earn your forgiveness,
It proves that you have received forgiveness.
Jesus is teaching here that a righteous man has been forgiven,
As evidenced by his forgiveness of others,
And that he continually seeks forgiveness
Because he longs to walk in sweet fellowship with God.
You can see the righteous man’s prayer.
Needing Provision Needing Forgiveness
3) PRAY NEEDING GOD’S GUIDANCE (13)
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Now this can be confusing.
On one hand we know that God will never tempt us.
James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”
On the other hand we are told to rejoice in our trials.
James 1:2-3 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
So why would we pray that it not occur?
HE IS PRAYING THAT GOD WOULD HELP HIM WALK BLAMELESSLY
Remember what Jesus told the disciples?
Matthew 26:39-41 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
At that moment, the enemy was coming.
At that moment, the trial was on its way.
Jesus warned them to pray that they would be able
To overcome the temptations that were about to hit them.
Fear – Selfishness – Impulses to fight
There would be many temptations that night,
And they needed to pray that God would help them not fall to them.
And that is the idea here.
Any Christian knows that this life is going to have hardship.
Any Christian knows that this life will have temptation.
The prayer of a righteous man is that
God would help him spot those temptations for what they are.
“God help me walk right” “God help me not be deceived” “God help me overcome”
He knows the battle is too strong and he needs God’s help.
He needs God’s provision
He needs God’s cleansing or forgiveness
He needs God’s guidance
AND WHY GO TO GOD FOR ALL THESE THINGS?
“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Because God is the only place to get those things.
And there again is the dependence and trust and submission.
And when you put it all together you see how
The prayer of a righteous man is far different
From the prayer of a hypocrite or a manipulative Gentile.
This man isn’t trying to impress God or other people.
This man isn’t trying to manipulate God into some selfish desire.
This man loves God, this man needs God,
And this man simply prays that God will help him live his life
In a way that sees God get all the glory.
SO HOW IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
Is it more about magnifying self?
Is it more about manipulating God?
Or is it all about coming to God in humility, praying that:
• God will be glorified
• God’s kingdom will come
• God’s will be done
• God will provide
• God will forgive
• God will guide
That is the prayer of a righteous man, and I encourage you
To use that to evaluate your life.
And simply let me say, if that does not describe your prayer life,
Then let me give you another one to try.
Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”
And let God make you righteous.
If you have never trusted Christ, then cry out to Him today.
If you have, then make sure and live the way He intends for you to live.
Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”
