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.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11: 1-13 ESV
Luke 11: 1-13 Lord, teach us to Pray
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place - The disciples noticed that Jesus prayed often, looked for times to slip off alone, to meet with His father. Prayer is important, it is one of the few things we can call necessary to the faith. He has given us His word, which faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word, and God's word should inform our prayers. We should also pray as we approach the word, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding. God has also instituted the sacraments, which is the taking of the wine and bread, what He has commanded us to do in remembrance of His atoning work on the cross. Before we take these we pray, we look to God for forgiveness, confessing our sins, repenting of the very things which Christ died to free us from, and we do this that we not take the cup in an unworthy manner. If the example set by God Himself, in taking on the body of a man, was to be constant in prayer, then how could we possibly not need this. If we have heard the word, believed in our heart, trusting in Christ's life and death, then we are brought back into the fellowship that was lost in the garden. This is the whole of it, we are no longer estranged enemies, but rather friends and family, and we talk to God not trying to impose our will, but rather to know and glorify Him in His.
…2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.… James 4: 2-4
Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples - In Matthew 6, which is a continuation of Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount, He had already taught them this very thing, and probably at other times as part of His teaching, but here they are asking. Maybe they didn't hear so well during the sermons, or like I have often done, mentally affirmed a thing, gave the amen, but then walked away and didn't put it into practice. It is easy to be a hearer of the word, or think, I already know that, I have done that before, or that is what I would tell someone else to do, but do I really pray believing that God hears me? Do I look forward to time with Him? Then ask yourself, do I really love someone I have no desire to learn about, to hear from through His word, or to talk to by way of prayer? Apparently, John the Baptist and other teachers gave their disciples prayers to learn in order to start the process, or and maybe to provide the structure and boundaries, to help them understand the approach. We don't want to approach God with strange fire as in the case of Nadab and Abihu.
5And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 6But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.… Matthew 6: 5-7
Father - What a privilege. This is one great aspect of having God the Son become a man, to take and incorporate human nature with His divine nature. Men were made in the image of God, had communion with God in the garden, but then man chose sin, his free will no longer being free, but now the bondservant, slave of sin. When Christ comes into the world, He bears the whole of the human experience, born of a virgin, in perfect obedience to the Father, without sin. He becomes the firstborn of a new creation. His birth into human history marks the beginning of the new birth, the regeneration of those being born again. He is our elder Brother, our closest kin not under the curse of sin, and therefore the rightful kinsmen Redeemer for all those being brought out, purchased back from slavery. The wages of sin is death, and He comes to settle with death. The standard of God's law is perfection, and He lives in perfect obedience to the Father. Pride has separated us from God, and if ever anyone had the right to it, well, there is none higher than Him, and yet He humbled Himself that He might pick us up. If you think anything is unfair to you in this life, then let Him be your bar. Because of His righteousness, His unfair death, I am now able to be adopted by God and to call Him, Father. I am welcomed through the curtain of His flesh for He has taken my place on the cross. The Shekinah is once again in the temple, and the glory of the Lord grows more perceptible all the time.
…14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.… Romans 8: 14-16
…5to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.… Galatians 4: 5-7
Hallowed be Your name - God's name is Holy, set apart. We approach with a holy fear, not as rebellious sons and daughters, but with that reverence that comes from love, the type which cannot bear to see the family name smeared. We are called Christians after all, so let us walk as Christ walked, in the fear of disappointing Him, let our prayers be to the desire of not sinning, of being separated from sin.
1Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.
…2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent. 4Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”… Leviticus 10: 1-4
Your Kingdom come - This is our preoccupation, the furtherance of the Kingdom, the telling of the gospel story. Like the man knocking on the door in the parable of verses 5-9, he is knocking on behalf of a visitor, and his desire is to be able to feed someone else. He is persistent in his knocking even if it wakes the whole house. As long as it is today, as long and as many times as we have opportunity to knock on heaven's door, then let us do so. As long as I have breath than let me pray for bread, for patience, for love, for the salvation of my neighbor. And who is my neighbor? Every human being.
…9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.… 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11
…16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” 17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4: 16-17
Spurgeon on praying this prayer repetitively - I THINK there is room for very great doubt, whether our Savior intended the prayer, of which our text forms a part, to be used in the manner in which it is commonly employed among professing Christians. It is the custom of many persons to repeat it as their morning prayer, and they think that when they have repeated these sacred words they have done enough. I believe that this prayer was never intended for universal use....This prayer of Christ is a great chart, as it were: but I cannot cross the sea on a chart. It is a map; but a man is not a traveler because he puts his fingers across the map. And so a man may use this form of prayer, and yet be a total stranger to the great design of Christ in teaching it to His disciples. (The Fatherhood of God)
Give us each day our daily bread - It truly comes from Him, every ingredient is His own invention. We pray to Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider).
…7Two things I ask of You—do not refuse me before I die: 8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. 9Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.… Proverbs 30: 7-9
Forgive us our sins - These are what kept us from entering the presence of a Holy God, let them become all the more severely regarded in our hearts. God, please forgive me, and cleanse me.
…8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.… 1 John 1: 8-10
For we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us - That is a grand statement. Those who have received without merit should be slow to be offended, even slower to offend and quick to forgive. I have often felt I owned this to some degree until God sends me someone more difficult. I cannot remember a time when my pride did not make forgiveness seemingly invisible to me.
…13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.… Matthew 6: 13-15
And lead us not into temptation - Guide us away from sin Lord; it is the enemy of belief.
15But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another. 16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.… Galatians 5: 15-17
…12So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it. 14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.… 1 Corinthians 10: 12-14
Friend, Lend me three loaves - A friend in need.
…41and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’…
…44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?… Matthew 5: 41-46
A friend of mine has arrived on a journey - It feels imposing, but you sometimes look around and find you don't have the knowledge or resources for the situation.
…3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:… Philippians 2: 3-5
Because of his impudence - Be audacious, come daily, come early, ring the bell often. I have found often that what I lack in knowledge, resources, skill or talent, can be made up for with persistence.
Stevenson - You need to know that the householder (NEIGHBOR) is NOT being likened to God. God is not sleepy or too busy or uninterested in answering our prayers. To place God in the role of the householder is to try to make the parable stand on all fours. This is even more obvious when we look at the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-5). There the story is of a widow who continues to make appeals to an unrighteous judge who only dispenses justice because it is convenient to him. Neither the householder or the judge are being LIKENED to God. Rather, they are being CONTRASTED to God. If continual prayer causes even such as these to respond, how much more will our loving Father provide for our needs if we continue to ask Him? - Precept Austin
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find - No one ask and no one seeks, and some think they ask, but have not sought the Lord's will, only things to squander on their foolish pleasures. Some look only to themselves.
…10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”… Romans 3: 10-12
…32For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.… Matthew 6: 32-34
If you then who are evil - The disciples jaws must have dropped. He is calling all of us evil, is He forgetting that we are related to Abraham? As humans we give our children good things, like food, shelter, things that they enjoy and can help them in life, but God is even above this, for everything He gives is to the good of His children, and even all that He withholds is to our good as well. As a parent I have made mistakes in not giving the most important thing my children need, the knowledge of God through His word, but at the same time I gave them plenty of things they don't need, excesses and bad example. They have witnessed my temper, and they know my hypocrisy, but God makes none of these mistakes.
…5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”…
8Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.…Genesis 6: 5-10
Remember that Jesus is addressing His disciples and He reminds them of their own intrinsic depravity! And notice that Jesus does not say they DO evil but that they ARE evil (so they "do" evil because they "are" evil). His Own disciples are "evil!" In short, Jesus' brief description of mankind is that we are inherently evil, which is a reference to the fact that we have all inherited the sinful nature of Adam (total depravity Ro 5:12+, cf Ro 7:18+) and sin is evil (see Ge 39:9b, Dt 9:18, 1 Ki 15:26, 34)! Even the "best" of us still have evil dwelling within us! Sometimes the truth hurts!
MacArthur explains "Whenever you see what we call “the milk of human kindness,” whenever you see people who don’t know God parent well, love their children, show kindness, give their children what they need, be philanthropic; you’re seeing the residual of the image of God, so warped and scarred in the fall, but still there. And so He says, “You, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children." (Sermon) - Precept Austin
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