Session 13 Being Taught to Pray by Jesus (Mt. 6:9-13)

I. THE MODEL PRAYER

A. It is a great gift to learn about prayer from the One who had the greatest prayer life and the

greatest teaching ministry in all history. Matthew 6:9-13 is one of the most familiar passages in

the Bible, yet so few have searched out its deeper treasures. Its over-familiarity has resulted in

many being content with a superficial view of its glorious contents.

B. Jesus gave us a model of prayer (Mt. 6:9-13) based on what God is like and on the nature of the

kingdom. It covers all the foundational basics that are expanded on throughout Scripture. Jesus

told us the things that we must know and keep central in our quest to grow strong in prayer.

9In this manner, therefore, pray: our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. (Mt. 6:9)

C. Jesus pointed out six requests to pray regularly. The first three focus on God’s glory (His name,

kingdom, and will). The second three focus on man’s needs (physical, relational, and spiritual).

II. OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

A. Jesus’ teaching on prayer starts with a strong focus on who God is—He is our Father in heaven.

Foundational to a strong prayer life is a right view of God as our heavenly Father. A. W. Tozer

insists that a low view of God has been the biggest problem in the Church in every generation.

As we pray, we must intentionally take time to recall who He is according to His Word.

9Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. (Mt. 6:9)

B. In the time of Jesus, the Jewish people saw God as transcendent creator and King. They trembled

before His great power. Jesus taught them that their creator God was their Father.

C. In heaven points to God’s transcendence. Jesus combined two ideas about God—He is powerful

and personal. He combined God’s fatherly love with His heavenly power, His transcendence

with His tenderness, and His being exalted so high with His humility that bows so low.

D. He is a Father who longs for a relationship of deep partnership with us, in which He trains

(disciplines), provides for, protects, and directs us with tenderness. He plans our destiny in His

glory with great detail. He is a Father in the core of His personality. He expresses the fullness of

the highest ideals of fatherhood. C. S. Lewis wrote of God as being “beyond personality.”

E. Our Father in heaven is so kind, yet terrifying, in His majesty. We are to draw near to His tender

heart with great confidence, adoring love, awestruck humility and wholehearted obedience.

F. Our: He is not only my Father, but our Father. Our prayers requests are tempered by the realities

of who we are to God as one family. We are to pray inclusively for the whole family of

believers, and not for ourselves only.

G. Revelation 4 is one of the great passages on the Father’s heavenly glory and beauty.

I see four categories, each having three themes. These 12 details have many implications.

1. The beauty of God’s person: how God looks, feels, and acts (4:3)

2. The beauty of God’s people: the Church enthroned, robed, and crowned (4:4)

3. The beauty of God’s power: manifest in the lightning, thunder, and voices (4:5a)

4. The beauty of God’s presence: His fire on lamps, seraphim, and the sea (4:5b-7; 15:2)

2A throne set in heaven…3He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in

appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne…like an emerald. 4Around the

throne…I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns…5From

the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning

before the throne…6There was a sea of glass, like crystal…around the throne, were four living

creatures…8they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, …” (Rev. 4:2-8)

H. Jesus set the context of intimacy with God within His sovereignty and majesty. Some only see

His heavenly glory, but do not see His nature as a Father with deep love. They depersonalize

God, presenting Him as majestic, but distant, cold hearted, and even harsh. We will see much

more of the truth of His fatherhood as we see glimpses of His transcendence. Others only see

Him as a tender Father, without seeing His heavenly glory. They see a Father who is kind and

personal but without trembling before His transcendence. They portray God as a familiar and

fun-loving buddy. It is based on bad and shallow theology and little personal experience of God.

III. PRAYING FOR GOD’S GLORY (MT. 6:9-10): THREE REQUESTS

A. Petition #1 – Praying for God’s name to be hallowed: God’s name refers to His person,

character, and authority. His name is hallowed when it responded to in a way that He is worthy

of. The very thought of His name stirs awe and holy fear in any who understand a little. This

petition is that God’s majestic name be revealed to us and then through us.

9Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. (Mt. 6:9)

1. We pray, “Lord, work in me and others, so that we see and respond appropriately to Your

greatness.” We ask God to release His power to cause more people to see the truth about

Him and to refuse to take His name in vain in jest or expressions of anger.

2. This is a prayer that the Father receive the highest place in our life, heart, and worship.

We revere God’s name by not asking for anything contrary to His glorious name and will.

B. Petition #2 – Praying for the kingdom to come: We ask for His kingdom to increase on earth.

The kingdom is the place where His Word is obeyed, His will is done, and His power expressed.

For example, it is manifested when the sick are healed and demons are cast out (Mt. 12:28).

10Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt. 6:10)

1. The kingdom is manifest in part in this age and in fullness when Jesus returns to earth.

The kingdom is “already, but not yet”—it is already here, but not yet fully here (Mt. 3:1-

2; 4:17, 23; 6:10, 33; 10:7; 12:28; 13:11; 16:18-19; 19:12; Mk. 4:11, 26; 9:1; Lk. 16:16;

17:20-21; 18:16, 29-30; Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 30-31; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20).

2. We are to labor in prayer for the kingdom to increase. The error of the church of Ephesus

was to do kingdom work without prayer or connecting deeply with Jesus (Rev. 2:4). The

Lord gives more if we ask for more—in the process of speaking to God and bringing Him

these requests, we develop our relationship with Him, and this is what He really wants.

3. This petition includes being kingdom-minded in our lifestyles and in our attitudes

towards others. Therefore, we are to work together with other believers, instead of having

a territorial attitude and being focused only on our own sphere of authority and influence.

C. Petition #3 – Praying for God’s will to be done: The third request includes our obedience in light

of God’s kingdom purposes. His will consists of His commands and our ministry assignment.

Some who are committed to changing the nations are not committed to personal purity. They are

more captivated with their ministry as a “change agent” than with Jesus and obeying Him.

10Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt. 6:10)

IV. PRAYING FOR OUR PERSONAL NEEDS (MT. 6:11-13): THREE REQUESTS

A. The next three requests are for our needs—physical (daily bread), relational (forgiveness), and

spiritual (deliverance from evil). Jesus commanded us to bring our personal requests to God in

prayer. These prayers express our dependence on God in every area of life. Some wrongly

conclude that this kind of prayer is “selfish,” so they neglect to make petition for personal needs.

B. Petition #4 – Praying for our daily provision: This request is for our daily provision, protection,

and direction. We do not pray to inform God of our needs (Mt. 6:7-8), but to enhance our

relationship with Him. Asking God for our needs does not free us from the responsibility of

working. He meets our needs partially by giving us the ability and opportunity to earn a living.

11Give us this day our daily bread. (Mt. 6:11)

C. Petition #5 – Praying for forgiveness: This petition helps our relationship with God and people.

This is a prayer for restored communion with God that also renews our relationship with others.

12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Mt. 6:12)

D. We are justified by faith, so prayer for our debts to be forgiven speaks of restoring our fellowship

with God (1 Jn. 1:9), not being saved from hell. It is to cleanse our heart and thoughts.

9If we confess our sins, He is faithful…to cleanse us from unrighteousness. (1 Jn. 1:9)

E. The proof that we have been freely forgiven is that we gladly forgive others. The man who

knows he has been forgiven is compelled to forgive others. Jesus did not say, “Forgive us our

debts because we forgave our debtors.” This truth was illustrated in John 13, when Peter refused

to let Jesus wash his feet, Jesus said that he was clean and that He only needed to wash his feet.

10He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean

(Jn. 13:10)

F. Petition #6 – Praying for deliverance from evil: This petition is that the Father lead us away

from temptation. God never tempts anyone with evil (Jas. 1:13).

13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Mt. 6:13, NIV, RSV)

G. Jesus’ point was to pray that God help us to avoid and escape temptations. He used a figure of

speech to express one petition in two ways—lead us from temptation and deliver us from evil.

The second half of the request defines positively what the first half says expresses negatively.

H. There are opportune times when demonically-energized temptations hit us like a “storm.”

13The devil ended every temptation…he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Lk. 4:13)

I. Jesus was calling the apostles to pray this prayer (Mt. 6:13) when He urged them to pray to not

enter into temptation (Mt. 26:41; Lk. 22:40). To enter temptation speaks of something far more

intense than the general temptations we all face. It points to a specific “storm of temptation” that

occurs when three components come together—when demonic activity against us is heightened,

our lusts are aroused, and circumstances are optimum for sin.

41Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

(Mt. 26:41)

31Satan has asked for you [Peter], that he may sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you,

that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me… (Lk. 22:31-32)

J. Pre-temptation prayers for help will remove or reduce a storm of temptation. Praying before the

temptation expresses humility that depends on God’s strength and acknowledges our weakness.

K. David prayed for deliverance from sinful situations even before they occurred (Ps. 19:12-13).

13Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then

I shall be blameless… (Ps. 19:13)

L. We “take heed” by keeping our relationship with Jesus strong through a consistent prayer life.

12Let him who thinks he stands [without prayer] take heed lest he fall… 13God is faithful, who

will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also

make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Cor. 10:12-13)

M. Jesus calls us to “pray always” to prepare for the snare of temptation in the end times.

34Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and

cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35For it will come as a snare on all

those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36Watch and pray always that you may be

counted worthy ]found prepared] to escape…and to stand [victorious] before the Son of Man.

THE STRONGHOLD OF THE GODLY: HUMILITY

Satan fears virtue. He is terrified of humility; he hates it. He sees a humble person and it sends chills down his back. His hair stands up when Christians kneel down, for humility is the surrender of the soul to God. The devil trembles before the meek because in the very areas where he once had access, there stands the Lord, and Satan is terrified of Jesus Christ.

Who Truly Are You Fighting?
You will remember that, at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the judgment of God against the devil was that he should “eat dust.” Remember also that God said of man, “dust thou art” (Gen. 3:14–19 kjv). The essence of our carnal nature—of all that is carnal in nature—is dust. We need to see the connection here: Satan feeds upon our earthly, carnal nature of “dust.” Satan dines on what we withhold from God.

Therefore, we need to recognize that the immediate source of many of our problems and oppressions is not demonic but fleshly in nature. We must contend with the fact that one aspect of our lives, our flesh nature, will always be targeted by the devil. These fleshly areas supply Satan with a ready avenue of access to undermine our prayers and neutralize our walk with God.

It is only our exaggerated sense of self-righteousness that prevents us from looking honestly at ourselves. We know who is in us, but we must also know what is in us if we will be successful in our war against the devil. Therefore, be specific when you submit yourself to God. Do not rationalize your sins and failures. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is a perfect shelter of grace enabling all men to look honestly at their needs. Accordingly, be honest with God. He will not be horrified or shocked by your sins. God loved you without restraint even when sin was rampant within you; how much more will He continue to love you as you seek His grace to be free from iniquity?

Before we launch out in aggressive warfare, we must realize that many of our battles are merely the consequences of our own actions. To war effectively, we must separate what is of the flesh from what is of the devil.

Allow me to give you an example. My wife and I once lived in an area where a beautiful red cardinal kept its nest. Cardinals are very territorial and will fight off intruding cardinals zealously. At that time, we owned a van which had large side mirrors and chrome bumpers. Occasionally, the cardinal would attack the bumpers or mirrors, thinking his reflection was another bird. One day, as I watched the cardinal assail the mirror, I thought, “What a foolish creature; his enemy is merely the reflection of himself.” Immediately the Lord spoke to my heart, “And so also are many of your enemies the reflection of yourself.”

Before we have any strategy for attacking Satan, we must make sure that the real enemy is not our own carnal nature. We must ask ourselves: are the things oppressing us today the harvest of what we planted yesterday?

Agree with Thine Adversary
You will remember that Jesus taught: “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” —Matthew 5:25–26 kjv

Jesus is speaking here of more than avoiding lawsuits. In fact, He speaks in such a way as to indicate that, in regards to this particular adversary and this particular judge, we will always lose our case and end up in prison.

This parable explains God’s view of human righteousness. In the narrative, the adversary is the devil and the Judge is God. Satan, as our adversary, stands as the accuser of the brethren before God, the Judge of all. The truth Christ wants us to see is that when we approach God on the basis of our own righteousness, the adversary will always have legal grounds to “cast [us] into prison,” for our righteousness is “as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6 kjv).

When Jesus says, “agree with thine adversary quickly,” He does not mean “obey” the devil. He is saying that when Satan accuses you of some sin or flaw, if the devil is even minutely right, it is to your advantage to agree with him about your unrighteousness. If he accuses you of being impure or not loving or praying enough, he is right. The key is not to argue with the devil about your own righteousness because, before God, your righteousness is unacceptable. No matter how much you defend or justify yourself, you know inwardly that often the accusations of the devil have morsels of truth in them.

Our salvation is not based upon what we do but upon who Jesus becomes to us. Christ Himself is our righteousness. We have been justified by faith; our peace with God comes through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). When Satan comes against you, he tries to deceive you by focusing your attention upon your own righteousness.

The more we recognize that Jesus alone is our righteousness, the less the adversary can assault us in the arena of our failings. When the accuser comes seeking to condemn you for not having enough love, your response should be, “That is true, I do not have enough love. But the Son of God died for all my sins, even the sin of imperfect love.” Step out from the shadow of satanic assault and stand in the brightness of your Father’s love. Submit yourself to God and ask for Christ’s love and forgiveness to replace your weak imperfect love.

When Satan seeks to condemn you for impatience, again your response should be, “Yes, in my flesh I am very impatient. But since I have been born again, Jesus is my righteousness and through His blood I am forgiven and cleansed.” Turn again to God. Use the accusation as a reminder that you are not standing before a throne of judgment but rather a throne of grace which enables you to boldly draw near to God for help (Heb. 4:16).

A vital key, therefore, to overcoming the devil is humility. To humble yourself is to refuse to defend your image: you are corrupt and full of sin in your old nature! Yet, we have a new nature which has been created in the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:24), so we can agree with our adversary about the condition of our flesh!

But do not limit this principle of humbling yourself to only when you are involved in spiritual warfare. This precept is applicable in other situations as well. The strength of humility is that it builds a spiritual defense around your soul, prohibiting strife, competition, and many of life’s irritations from stealing your peace.

A wonderful place to practice this is in your family relationships. As a husband, your wife may criticize you for being insensitive. A fleshly response could easily escalate the conversation into a conflict. The alternative is to simply humble yourself and agree with your wife. You probably were insensitive. Then pray together and ask God for a more tender love.

As a wife, perhaps your husband accuses you of not understanding the pressures he has at work. More than likely he is right, you do not know the things he must face. Instead of responding with a counter-charge, humble yourself and agree with him. Pray together, asking God to give you an understanding heart. If we remain humble in heart, we will receive abundant grace from God; Satan will be disarmed on many fronts.
Remember, Satan fears virtue. He is terrified of humility; he hates it because humility is the surrender of the soul to the Lord, and the devil is terrified of Jesus Christ. — The Three Battlegrounds, Chap 2

Song 5:10-16 is one of the most powerful revelations of Jesus in Scripture. She starts with a general statement of His beauty, develops ten attributes, and then gives a summary statement.
10My beloved is white and [dazzling, NASB]…chief among ten thousand. 11His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy…12His eyes are like doves…13His cheeks are like a bed of spices…His lips are lilies…14His hands are rods of gold…His body is carved ivory…15His legs are pillars of marble…His countenance is like Lebanon…16His mouth is most sweet, yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend… (Song 5:10-16)

1. His head: His sovereign leadership over all
2. His locks: His dedication to God and the Church
3. His eyes: His infinite knowledge, wisdom, understanding, discernment
4. His cheeks: His diverse emotional makeup
5. His lips: His Word
6. His hands: His divine activity
7. His body: His tender compassion
8. His legs: His walk and administration of His purposes
9. His countenance: His impartation to His people
10. His mouth: Intimacy with Him
11. He’s altogether lovely: His comprehensive beauty
12. He is my Beloved and my Friend

This is not my writing, it was written by Mike Bickle from his study in Song of Songs…..

The Christian paradigm of God is founded on the revelation of God’s deep emotions of love. The revelation of God as a tender Father and a passionate Bridegroom was a new idea in religious history (see William Barclay’s commentary on Heb. 4).

In Jewish tradition, what was most emphasized about God was that He is holy in the sense of being totally separate from sin. They did not think of a holy God as sharing human experience. They thought of God as incapable of sharing it simply because He is God. In other words, they saw God as being “above” sharing the human dilemma by the very definition of being God.

The Greek philosophers saw God as emotionally distant from humans. The most prominent Greek thinkers were the Stoics. They saw the main attribute of God as being apatheia, by which they meant God’s inability to feel anything. They reasoned that if God felt something, then He might be influenced or even controlled by what He felt. They argued that those who felt sorrow or joy were vulnerable to being hurt and, thus, controlled by those they had feelings for. They believed that anyone who affected God’s emotions would be greater than God for that moment. The Epicureans (a school of Greek philosophy) believed that the gods lived detached in eternal bliss. They lived in the intermediate world and, thus, were not aware of events occurring on earth. They were, therefore, totally detached from human affairs as they lived in great happiness.

The Jews understood God as a holy God separated from humans; the Stoics, a feelingless god; the Epicureans, a detached god. Into this context of religious thought came the totally new idea of the Christian God who deliberately subjected Himself to human emotion, pain, and weakness.
Jesus came as the One who embraced human experience and was therefore, sympathetic.

15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15)

8though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (Heb. 5:8)

It was inconceivable to the religious mindset of the first century that a holy God would have capacity for tenderness, sympathy and affection, who even wrapped Himself in the garments of humanity and then experienced God’s wrath on a cross. It is difficult to realize how dramatic this Christian paradigm of God was at that time.

The capacity to deeply love is unique to the human spirit. It distinguishes us from even the most exalted angels. Nothing in Scripture describes angels as having the capacity for affection. They have joy, but never are described as having affection. This capacity for affection brings us to unimaginable heights in God’s glory, but it can also be dangerous by bringing us to agonizing depths of perversion, if we resist God’s grace.

“God loves us in the same way the God loves God” The measure of the Father’s love (affection) for Jesus is the measure of Jesus’ love for us. This is the ultimate statement of our worth. It gives every believer the right to view themselves as God’s Favorite”

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide (live) in My love” John 15:9