Pray the Lord’s prayer from memory and give the reference in the Sermon on the Mount where it is found.
Analyze the Lord’s prayer into its three major parts, identifying each of the six petitions and explaining their meaning.
Take part in a discussion of the petitions in the Lord’s prayer and their importance for Christian life and ministry.
Identify three things needed for a daily quiet time and begin to establish a daily quiet time in your own life.
Take part in a discussion with others about the relationship between the Believers prayer and faith; and the role of the Holy Spirit and the will of God in prayer.
The Lord’s prayer
Exercise: Read Matthew 6:9-13 once again.
This is known as “The Our Father,” “The Lords Prayer,” “The Prayer of the Kingdom.”
Open your Bible to Matthew 6:9.
The first phrase of Matthew 6:9 contains a description of God which is there to remind us that we are talking to God the Father. Before we ask God for anything, we ought to remember WHO He is and WHAT He is like. Write the phrase here:
There are two things which we are to remember about God when we pray.
First of all, we are to remember that God is our so we can tell Him everything incomplete confidence.
But we must also remember that God is in the isn’t a human parent. We must approach God with the reverence that He is due.
What is the purpose of the description of God at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer? It is there to remind us we are talking to and He is like.
Exercise: using your blue pencil, underline the phrase at the Beginning of the Lord’s Prayer which reminds us who God is and what he is like.
The first phrases of the Lord’s Prayer is followed by a series of requests. These Petitions have been listed below.
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.
Let’s take a closer look.
The first petition is found at the end of verse nine. When we pray this prayer, whose name are we asking to be hallowed?
The second petition begins in verse 10. When we pray this petition, whose kingdom are we asking to come?
The rest of verse ten includes the third petition. This petition asks that whose will be done?
So then, the first three of these six petitions do not ask for something for us! Instead, they ask for something for .
The second group of petitions are there in this group?
The fourth petition (see vs. 11) asks God for daily bread. Who is to receive this bread?
Petition number five asks for the forgiveness of certain debts (see vs. 12). Who is asking for forgiveness?
When we pray, “Hallowed Be Your Name”, we are asking God to honor Himself.
Christians honor God when they do His will and live in obedience to the Word of God. So then, God’s name is hallowed when: Check true statements
His name is used as a curse
Christians care for the sick and the poor
Believers learn to love their neighbors
We work hard to take care of our family’s needs.
It is true that the kingdom of God has already come. However, it will come more fully yet. The kingdom of God comes as Christ reigns in a more complete way each day until He rules over all at the end of the world.
God reigns more completely when:
each believer submits himself more and more to the control of Christ in his life, and when
each unbeliever accepts Christ and submits himself for the first time to Christ’s control.
There are a lot of people who think that prayer is just an attempt to get something we want for ourselves. Of course, that is all wrong? This third petition is an example for all of our prayers.
We do not ask for what we want, but instead we ask for what wants to be accomplished.
Read Matthew 7:11
Although the child doesn’t know the danger involved, the Father certainly does. In other words, the Father knows what is best for the child and acts in the child’s best interest.
Why then do we pray that God’s will be done on earth? Because God more than we do.
Now it is important for us to understand that our submission to God’s will does not mean.
that we just sit still in the face of some “destiny” nor does it mean;
that we must endure suffering and say to ourselves “it is God’s will, there isn’t anything I can do about it.”
Christians don’t just throw up their hand and say, “we will pray about it! We enthusiastically desire that the will of God be done because we know that His will is the BEST possible thing for us.
From this we can learn the very practical lesson that a good share of the time we spend in prayer ought to be given over to things which have to do with
The Fourth petition is found in Matthew 6;11. In this petition we are asking God to supply our daily . Of course, this does not only mean bread: Here Jesus is talking about all of the material things we need: food, clothing, shelter, and so on. (e.g. Soup, a pair of Jeans, Water to drink and wash ourselves, etc.).
Many of us earn our own income and buy the things we need to eat and wear at a store. We may be tempted to think! “Why should I ask God for these things? They come from the store and I bought them with my own hard earned money.
Read James 1:17.
According to this verse, why do we ask God for material needs, even if we did earn the money to buy them? Because all things come from God in the first place.
We know that all the material goods we use have really come from God. We should also understand that God uses many different means to bring these things to us. man must often work to make good use of the things which God has given to us.
When we ask God to provide our daily bread, we are really asking God to bless each of the people and resources that were used to provide us with what we need and the good of others in our community.
There are a great many things which we do not really need although God may certainly give them to us as well. (e.g. Enough clothes to keep warm, Enough food to stay healthy, The tools we need for our work).
The fifth petition is found in verse 12. In this petition, God is asked to our debts.
The word “debts” as used in the Lord’s Prayer means “Moral Debts” or in other words, “Sins”. This petition makes another point about confession and forgiveness. Read Matthew 6:12 carefully. What does this petition teach us about the forgiveness of our sin?
Do you ever find it difficult to forgive others? Think about the meaning of this petition in verse 12. Is it really possible to receive forgiveness from God without also being willing to forgive others? Read Matthew 6:14-15. It is necessary to forgive others since God has forgiven us.
To Think About: Can you think of someone who has wronged you? Compare the heaviness of the things you have done against God’s laws with that person has done to you. Since God has forgiven ALL of your sins, aren’t you also responsible to forgive that person of the small wrong done to you? This is an important matter between you and God!
The sixth petition can be found in verse 13. This petition asks God not to lead us into but tous from evil.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says: “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear,” or in other words: God won’t let us be tempted more than we can stand (e. g. He will keep us from a temptation which is longer than we can take or is stronger than we can take).
Still, we will be tempted in many ways! For this reason, the rest of this petition asks God to actually keep us from doing wrong.
Now, when you pray the Lords prayer in church or at home you will understand its meaning and be able to pray sincerely. If you or your congregation do not know the Lord’s prayer you should learn it. It can he prayed together as a family prayer by all believers.
Read Matthew 6:6. According to this verse, there are times when we should pray alone. It is trust us to find a “secret” or private place where we can be all one with God. Often it is impossible to find a room where we can be completely alone. Jesus had this problem too! Read Mark 1:35 to see what He did about it. The verse says that Jesus left the house and went off to a place, and was praying there. It is important that you find someplace where you won’t be interrupted or distracted. It is also important that we choose a time when we will be alert. (e.g. praying shortly after getting up in the morning while in the bathroom).
Read Luke 6:12
This verse tells us about another habit Jesus had.
How long was Jesus in prayer at this time?
Does this mean that Jesus allowed Himself to be rushed by the other needs of His ministry? (e.g. The housewife who briefly prays while she is getting breakfast for her family, The teenage girl who always prays before she goes to school, but is always getting up later than she should.)
What private place can you find to have your personal time with the Lord?
When is the best time for you to schedule this daily time with God? That is, when will you be most alert and when can you pray without being rushed?
Now make a promise to Him to take advantage of this opportunity and to spend time alone with Him each day.
Think back to the first part of this lesson. The third petition in the Lord’s Prayer asks that the Lord’s be accomplished.
Asking SINCERELY that God’s will be done is one of the necessary requirements if our prayers are to be answered.
Read 1 John 5:14-15:
According to verse 14, if we ask according to God’s then he will us.
According to the 15th verse, if God us, then we know that we the requests we asked Him for.
Think back. Why are we to ask that God’s will be accomplished?
Read James 1:6
When we ask, we must and not
Read Matthew 21:22. Christ teaches us the same truth about prayer. Jesus said, “If you , you will whatever you ask for in prayer.
What a precious promise this is! But remember that we are to ask that the of be done.
Of course, God is able to answer any request. But before we ask anything of God we must first ask ourselves: “Is this request in agreement with the of “
In Luke 18:1-88, there is a parable which deals with prayer. Verse 1 tells us that this parable deals with the need to keep on praying and not to. Or we shall pray until we receive an answer from God.
We go to a good and just God with our requests. We have a much better chance of getting what we ask for, so long as we are willing to
Prayer comes from the heart. The things we have learned only help what is in our hearts to be given over to the Lord.
The verse below is Romans 8:26 as it appears in the Good News for Modern Men. “In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak that we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit Himself pleads with God for us, in groans that words cannot express.”
The Holy Spirit especially helps us to pray when we ask Him to.
Now Read Romans 8:26. This verse says that WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE OUGHT TO PRAY, but the Spirit Himself for us.
An Intercessor is someone who intercedes or makes a request on behalf of another person. So then, when it is said that the Holy Spirit Intercedes for us, we mean that the Holy Spirit helps believers pray by helping them make requests according to the will of God.
let’s ask the Holy Spirit to give us a genuine desire to pray, and that He will teach us how to do it,
BIO:Henry Clay Morrison
H.C. Morrison was born in Barren County, Kentucky. His par-
ents died when he was very young, and he was reared in his
grandfather’s home. The rugged religious atmosphere and the
constant spirit of revival throughout the bluegrass region
made a profound impression upon him and awakened within his
soul a consciousness of his need of Christ and the assurance
of deliverance from sin.
About the age of 11, he was converted and soon after
felt the call to the ministry. Although he made no attempt to
preach for about eight years, he was much occupied with
church work. At the age of 19 he was licensed to preach and
demonstrated the validity of his call in his work as circuit
rider and station pastor. As a young man, he was called to
one of the most responsible Methodist churches in Kentucky.
In 1890 he left the pastorate and gave himself to the work of
evangelism and the publication of a religious paper called
The Old Methodist, which later became The Herald.
Morrison’s evangelistic leadership in Methodism grew
rapidly from Kentucky to most of the other states and many
foreign lands. A contemporary said of him, “To him was given
by God a heart to move the multitude, a mind to think God’s
thoughts, and a voice to rouse his century, his church, and
his country.” The camp meeting became one of his chief in-
struments, and perhaps no other man ever gave more time or
effective leadership to this phase of evangelism than he.
In addition to this, he served as president of Asbury
College from 1910 to 1925, and from 1933 to 1940. He was in-
strumental in founding Asbury Theological Seminary in 1923.
William Jennings Bryan said, “I regard H.C. Morrison the
greatest pulpit orator on the American continent.” And, at
Morrison’s death in 1942, it was written of him, “A tall tree
has fallen in the forest, but it went down with a great shout
of victory.” He died as he lived–in the midst of a campaign