Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)
Sermon Summary
Pastor David Yan
3 November 2024
Jesus taught his disciples to pray. And he taught them to pray just as he himself prayed.
Our Father in heaven. Prayer is very personal. When we pray we are like little children before their father. The relationship is intimate. The prayer is no less so. There was perfect intimacy between the heavenly Father and Jesus the Son of God.
God our Father is in heaven. He is above all creation. He fills the universe. He is at the place of all authority. Before Jesus came into the world he was with the heavenly Father in glory. When we pray "our Father in heaven" we draw near God's awesome throne in heaven. What a privilege that unholy ones can pray to The Holy One!
Hallowed be your name. Hallow means reverence. God is to be revered in thought, speech and action. No one revered the Father more than Christ. He revered him in all that he did on earth. Emulate Jesus. Reverence God; not blaspheme him.
Your kingdom come. This indicates the advancement of the gospel. God's kingdom is a spiritual one for God dwells in the hearts of people who are born again. Jesus advanced God's kingdom by proclaiming the gospel. The people heard, were born again, and became citizens of God’s kingdom.
The coming of God's kingdom also indicates the end of all evil kingdoms. Evil is put down when God's kingdom progresses. Jesus advanced God's kingdom when he cast out demons, healed the sick, and delivered people from the god of this age.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This indicates purpose. God is a God of purpose. He created all things in heaven and on earth for a purpose. The universe functions according to the will of God. Jesus came to obey the Father's will – to reconcile a fallen world to himself.
Give us this day our daily bread. We have daily needs and daily we seek the Lord's provision. He will provide for us. We should not be anxious about our lives. He who feeds the sparrows will feed us. Jesus lived day by day and was provided for. He bids us to live just as he did.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. These two statements go together. They request that God will not lead us into trials whereby we sin but that he will deliver us from the evil one who is the devil. In teaching his disciples to pray like this Jesus is calling attention to his own trial in the wilderness. He was tempted but was delivered from the devil. We pray also that when we are tempted God will deliver us.
Let us be diligent in prayer. In Luke 11:1-4 Jesus teaches us how to pray. He is not giving us a form of words to be used but is providing us with features of prayer which ought to be present whenever we pray.