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LUKE - Christ, the Savior of the World
A Bible Study Course on the Gospel of Christ according to Luke

PART 4 - JESUS' MINISTRY DURING HIS JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM (Luke 9:51 - 19:27)

7. The Principles of Prayer (Luke 11:1-13)


LUKE 11:01-04
1 It happened, that when he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Never was any prayer in the whole world so loaded with such meaning, power, and wisdom, expressing so much in few words as the Lord’s Prayer. Learn these words by heart, for this fatherly prayer is the mother of all prayers, and the true exercise of thankfulness, confession, petition, and supplication. It is the high school for all true theological courses. Pray the Lord’s Prayer with consciousness and intent, and you will gain wisdom.

The first word, “Our Father” is the most important word in the whole gospel. It is through this word that Christ reveals to us who God is. The Holy One is not concealed from us, but is our Father. Believe in this one word and you will become a true Christian. Speak this word willingly and you will become a child of God. Christ has made you a partner in his truth. It is for the sake of his grace that you should not fear God, but go toward him with praise and supplication.

The first petition, “Hallowed be your name” means that God is glorified when many spiritual children are born of him all around the world, for a father is not in fact a father unless he has children. His children will honor him if they walk according to the spirit of his love in truth and uprightness, as Christ lived glorifying his Father at all times by word, deed, and thought.

The second petition, “Your kingdom come” means that the kingdoms of this world pass away, but the kingdom of our Father comes. Did you realize that the kingdom of God is the kingdom of our Father, and that Christ, your Brother, is the true King? Pray soon that this kingdom of peace may begin around you, and that the antichrist spirits may disappear, and the victory of his authority may come true in your loving humility.

In the third petition, we ask that our Father’s will be done on earth as it is done at all times in heaven. This petition delivers us from fear of the future. We are endowed with free will, for God is our Father, and he wants only to bless, save, and sanctify us. In this petition, we ask for our guidance, and obedience to the will of his love that it may become perfect in and around us.

“Give us day by day our daily bread.” After thus giving glory to the name of the Father, his kingdom come, and his fatherly will be done, Christ teaches us to ask the Provider of the world for sufficient bread for us, our neighbors, and all men. The word “bread,” here, denotes everything necessary to sustain life; i.e. work, job, clothes, and pure pleasures; for your Father cares for you. But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Then we seek forgiveness of our sins. Our greatest sin is unbelief, lack of faith, incomplete trust in the love of our Father, and halfhearted love toward him and toward people. Your heavenly Father has forgiven your sins entirely on the cross of his Son. In this petition, you ask that this forgiveness made through the Holy Spirit be realized in your life. Listen carefully to these words, for you are asking your Lord to forgive you because you have already forgiven your enemies, which entails that unless you forgive others, God will not forgive you. God is love. He is willing to forgive you on one condition: that you also love others and are willing to forgive all men.

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” No doubt our heavenly Father does not lead us into temptation. But if you always oppose his guidance, and love your favorite sin more than loving him and his Son, he will leave you sinking in your sin, for you are responsible for your walk. The Lord leaves those who disobey him by giving in to the lusts of their hearts, thus they bring about their own destruction. In this petition, we ask our heavenly Father to submit us to the guidance of his Spirit that we may not fall into sin because of our obstinacy, and let the evil enemy gain authority over us. Christ protects us by his blood. He will deliver you in his name from all evil power, if you hold fast to him in faith. So ask the Lord for yourself and for all men, to send Christ soon, and put an end to the rule of the kingdom of Satan that all who are obedient to the Holy Spirit may be saved. Did you notice the first and the last words in the Lord’s Prayer? They are “Our Father” and “the evil one”. Your life revolves between those names. Which of them do you follow?

PRAYER: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

QUESTION 79: Why is the name of the Father the most important word in the Lord’s Prayer?

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