CHAPTER 4 MATTHEW 6:9 Our Father... After this manner therefore pray ye. Jesus didn't intend for what we've traditionally called "The Lord's Prayer" to be recited word for word the way it's been done in church. (Matt. 6:9-13.) Technically speaking, this isn't even a true New Testament prayer. You might be surprised to hear that, but notice that it's not prayed in the name of Jesus. Right before He died, the Lord said, "Up until this time, you have asked nothing in My name. Now ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full. Whatsoever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you" (John 16:23,24). A New Covenant prayer must be prayed in the name of Jesus. The Lord was giving us a model for prayer, not something to repeat! If you are reciting the words "Our Father which art in heaven..." and saying "The Lord's Prayer," you're just soothing your conscience (Matthew 6:9). Your feeling of "Man, I'm really observing my religious duty!" is all you're getting out of it, because merely speaking these words doesn't earn you anything from God. This is nothing more than the vain repetition Jesus taught against in Matthew 6:7. Enter With Praise. Jesus was communicating scriptural principles through this model prayer. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. PSALM 100:4 This is how you're supposed to begin prayer, by entering into His presence thanking, praising, and blessing Him. It's exactly what Jesus told us to do in Matthew 6:9: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Begin prayer by acknowledging your special relationship to God your Father. Don't just approach Him as "God," "Judge," or "Creator"; that's impersonal and distant. Every New Testament believer has a close, personal relationship with God that supersedes even the very best of what Old Testament saints had. Isn't that awesome? Come into His presence praising and worshiping Him. Ascribe the glory due His name: He's your loving heavenly Father! Thank Him for this special relationship. Remind yourself of His goodness and mercy, that He's not mad at you. Even if you've blown it again, He's not condemning you. God is pleased with you and loves you dearly. As you enter into His presence, remember He's your Father! What would you think if you saw a child come into his father's presence and begin to say, "I know that I haven't talked to you all day long. Of course, you must be very displeased with me. Forgive me again..." and then continue by begging and pleading for mercy and cleansing? You'd think, That's not a very good father! He's made his children afraid to come near him if they haven't done everything just right. They think if they haven't talked to him all day that he's going to be mad at them. Come on! Every one of us has been guilty of entering into our Father's presence with a sense of unworthiness, saying, "God, I haven't prayed. I'm not loving the way I should. I didn't do this or that." We come in concerned, dominated, and focused on our own failure instead of His goodness. Our Father doesn't like His children approaching Him that way. If you feel like you're so sorry, then praise Him for the fact that He loves such a sorry person as you! Instead of focusing on your unworthiness, thank Him for His goodness. Just Act Like I Love You! I once knew of a dog named Honey who was a large watchdog. She was three-fourths German shepherd and one-fourth chow. Her name came from her beautiful honey- colored fur coat. Honey would bark, run, and jump on the fence whenever someone walked by. Looking mean, she scared the daylights out of many people! However, Honey's toughness melted in a heartbeat if you opened up the back gate. She'd immediately scramble to move herself out of your way. You see, Honey had been beaten with a trace chain before she changed owners. Even though she looked mean, in timid, Every time this dog came up to a person, she'd run until she got about ten feet away. At that point she'd stop, roll over, start whimpering pitifully, and continue scooting up to you on her side. Honey wanted to be pet, but was constantly afraid she might be hit her instead. One day while meditating on these exact verses from Matthew 6 and Psalm 100. I thought about Honey's rolling over on her side and whimpering and her antics. I thought, at least once she should just come up, jump on you, and treat you like a normal dog would. Everybody who sees Honey thinks she is beatten by her current master! They believe he is a mean master. I am sure that he gets embarrassed when people observe how Honey acts toward others!" Then the Lord spoke to my heart, "Son, that's exactly the way I feel about you. Just one time I wish you would approach Me. Our Father... saying 'Daddy! Father!' and not talk about how sorry you are or how you know you don't deserve My goodness and mercy. Just one time I'd like you to come into My presence and act like I love you!" Not Afraid of Father. This is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 6:9. Enter His gates with thanksgiving. Praise Him, praying, "Father! Thank You for being my Father!" You wouldn't expect an earthly dad to treat his child as badly as we expect our heavenly Father to treat us. If a child approached his parents the way religion conditions us to approach God, they'd be accused of child abuse! People outside the church hear the way we talk about the Lord: "God sent the September 11 attacks. He's judging America, and we need to pray for His clemency. The Lord will completely destroy our ungodly nation if we don't get down on our knees and beg for forgiveness now." It's no wonder people aren't turning to God. That's not an accurate representation of who He is! God's not mad at you! It doesn't matter how sorry you are. He took all of His anger out on His own Son two thousand years ago at the cross. Jesus proclaimed, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). Now you can approach Him without fear based on what Christ has done. God's just glad to hear from you. He's not going to beat on you. God isn't like that! Go ahead and enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise Him. Thank Him for the fact that He is holy and kind, pure and good. Praise Him for being your Father and not your Judge! He'll be the Judge of nonbelievers, but He isn't going to judge you. Your judgment was placed upon Jesus. When you stand before Him on that Day as a believer in Christ, it'll be for the presentation of your eternal reward, not condemnation. There's simply no need to be afraid of your loving heavenly Father! Manifesting Heaven on Earth. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. MATTHEW 6:10 Jesus continued to praise God, declaring, "Father, I know that it's Your will for things to be done on earth the way they are in heaven." In heaven, there's no sickness. Therefore, it's not God's will for you to be sick! There's no poverty in heaven. So its not God's will for you to be poor here on earth! In the presence of the Lord, there is abundant joy, shouting, singing, praising, and worshiping. That's what heaven is like, and it's how He expects us to be here on earth! Religion has sold us a bill of goods! It's taught us to always expect God to be half ticked off. It's convinced us that we must constantly try to appease an angry God. Wrong, wrong, wrong! That's not the way Father wants it to be. If Christians really understood this part of the model prayer, they'd quit believing that God is the one who brings bad things into our lives to teach us something. God doesn't make people sick. He doesn't put poverty in your life. He didn't cause your marriage to fail because you weren't serving Him at the time. God didn't kill your child because you weren't reading the Bible. Religion teaches that garbage. It's no wonder we aren't getting better results in prayer! God wants His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven! This should serve as a guideline for what we expect from Him. We should pray that what's already waiting for us in heaven would begin to manifest here in our lives on earth. Eternal life has already begun! Take It! Give us this day our daily bread. MATTHEW 6:11 Notice that verse 11 isn't a question, because there's no question mark at the end. It's not saying, "Oh God, I know I don't deserve it, but would You please give me a crumb so I won't starve and perish today?" No! This is a demand: "Give us this day our daily bread!" It's not an arrogant demand in the vein of "God, I'm forcing You!" but more like a little kid who comes into the kitchen at lunchtime, declaring, "Mom, I want something to eat!" Do you slap him and require, "Beg me!" No! Providing meals is just part of the family relationship. Children expect Mom and Dad to meet their needs. It's familiarity with their parents' love that makes them bold in their approach. God wants us to be this way with Him. He desires all believers to be so familiar with His love that our approach toward Him is bold. (Hebrews 4:16.) He yearns for His children to believe that all the provision they need has already been made. They just have to reach out in faith and take it. "Father, thank You! I receive my healing. I take my prosperity. I love You, Father!" You aren't making God do something. You just know in your heart that He's already supplied, so you reach out and take it. Not many Christians approach God this way. We come before Him more like beggars than children. We should pray, "Father, I thank You that You have already provided everything I need. You never deny me anything good!" Instead, we enter His presence feeling like God doesn't really want to move in our life. Therefore we beg and plead with Him to make Him move on our behalf. That attitude stinks! It's religious bondange, not true prayer. God is offended, and it doesn't bless you. Tear that stuff up and start over! "Give us this day our daily bread!" Just take advantage of what He's already done. Appropriate it! And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. MATTHEW 6:12,13 Our Father... It's obvious this isn't a New Covenant prayer. Your sins have been forgiven. You don't need to keep confessing them and praying, "Forgive us our sins, forgive us our sins." Once you've believed and received the Lord, your sins are forgiven: past, present, and future. You don't have to pray, "God, don't lead me into temptation." Of course He won't! What loving Father would? Jesus spoke these things in Matthew 6 before the cross and resurrection. He was led into temptation on our behalf and overcame the devil. (Matthew 4:1-11.) If you are being led into temptation, you can be sure that it isn't God. (James 1:13,14.) In light of this truth, you can pray, "Father, I know it's not Your will for me to be tempted." That's fine. ...but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. MATTHEW 6:13 Through faith in Christ, we transferred kingdoms. Jesus has already delivered us out of the kingdom of darkness and set us in the kingdom of light. The evil one lost his legal hold on us completely, and we now belong to our loving heavenly Father. For this we praise Him. Hallelujah!