The fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer is this: "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
What does this mean? "We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us."
For many, the question they have about this petition is "what are trespasses," but it clears right up for you when we say, "Trespasses are sins." Trespasses are simply all the things we are and do that separate us from God. Trespasses are the reason why God would be justified if He decided to crumple up the whole creation like a piece of paper and toss it in the trash can.
The mercy of God is that He does not do this, but sent Jesus to suffer the just punishment which we deserve. His grace is that He gives us the gifts that we no longer deserve, but that He desires for His children.
That's what we're praying for in this petition. Just that our heavenly Father would forgive us for Jesus sake and treat us as dear children.
Of course, God also calls on us to forgive others in the way we've been forgiven. Read Matthew 18:21-35. Jesus is very clear in this passage about how He expects God's forgiven children to respond to their own forgiveness by forgiving those around them.
Friday, March 6, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020
The Lord's Prayer: The Fourth Petition
The fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer is this: "Give us this day our daily bread."
What does this mean? "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving."
Of course, it's best when the "meaning" doesn't include the very word we're trying to understand, i.e., daily bread. But before we turn our attention to "daily bread," notice that the focus here is the effect praying this prayer has on us. It's not that we won't have daily bread unless we pray for it! Quite the contrary - God gives daily bread to all people, even evil people.
No. We are to recognize that we receive all that we have from the hand of a gracious God and thank Him for it.
But what is "daily bread"? This is the answer the Reformers gave: "Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like." In other words: Everything good in this life comes as a gift from God's hand!
Of course, when most of us think about the claim that "everyone" gets daily bread, we immediately think of hungry and starving people. How are they receiving their daily bread? A fuller answer will have to wait for another time, but the short answer is this: They are still alive and God is supporting them in this flesh for as long as they are to remain in this flesh. No. They are not being cared for as God desired it in the beginning, but sin and the curse of the fallen creation have put a new "spin" on daily bread. Now we have to "scrape by" to make a living. Thank God it won't always be this way!
What does this mean? "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving."
Of course, it's best when the "meaning" doesn't include the very word we're trying to understand, i.e., daily bread. But before we turn our attention to "daily bread," notice that the focus here is the effect praying this prayer has on us. It's not that we won't have daily bread unless we pray for it! Quite the contrary - God gives daily bread to all people, even evil people.
No. We are to recognize that we receive all that we have from the hand of a gracious God and thank Him for it.
But what is "daily bread"? This is the answer the Reformers gave: "Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like." In other words: Everything good in this life comes as a gift from God's hand!
Of course, when most of us think about the claim that "everyone" gets daily bread, we immediately think of hungry and starving people. How are they receiving their daily bread? A fuller answer will have to wait for another time, but the short answer is this: They are still alive and God is supporting them in this flesh for as long as they are to remain in this flesh. No. They are not being cared for as God desired it in the beginning, but sin and the curse of the fallen creation have put a new "spin" on daily bread. Now we have to "scrape by" to make a living. Thank God it won't always be this way!
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
The Lord's Prayer: The Third Petition
The third petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the third petition means in this way: "The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also."
It must be admitted from the outset that we don't always see God's will being done around us with our eyes. When it comes to suffering and pain in the world, we want to say: "Either that's not God's will or He's a monster that I won't worship." But the truth is this: It's either all in His hands or it's not. Either He allows our pain and suffering (an unpleasant thought at first), planning to work it together for good, or He isn't strong enough to save us from it (an even more unpleasant thought!).
But we don't pray for God's will as though He is "the dispenser of good and evil." We pray to "our heavenly Father," who has revealed His gracious will to us in many way. He graciously wills good for us and He is working to make it happen in the midst of a fallen world that will ultimately pass away. His merciful and gracious will is most clearly seen by His sending His own Son to die in our place so that our death isn't "for good." In this way, He even turns "earthly death" to a good end.
God also works lesser blessings for us in this life, but He will never sacrifice our eternal life for the sake of temporary comfort. If you and I suffer in this life, it is part of God's plan and in accordance with His will... but not for the sake of our suffering. Ultimately, it all works together "to strengthen us and keep us firm in His word and faith until we die."
That's the "will" we pray for in this petition! That is the will of "our Father", the gracious God.
This is how the Reformers understood this Third Petition, too. "How is God's will done?" They answered: "God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens us and keeps us firm in His word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will."
After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the third petition means in this way: "The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also."
It must be admitted from the outset that we don't always see God's will being done around us with our eyes. When it comes to suffering and pain in the world, we want to say: "Either that's not God's will or He's a monster that I won't worship." But the truth is this: It's either all in His hands or it's not. Either He allows our pain and suffering (an unpleasant thought at first), planning to work it together for good, or He isn't strong enough to save us from it (an even more unpleasant thought!).
But we don't pray for God's will as though He is "the dispenser of good and evil." We pray to "our heavenly Father," who has revealed His gracious will to us in many way. He graciously wills good for us and He is working to make it happen in the midst of a fallen world that will ultimately pass away. His merciful and gracious will is most clearly seen by His sending His own Son to die in our place so that our death isn't "for good." In this way, He even turns "earthly death" to a good end.
God also works lesser blessings for us in this life, but He will never sacrifice our eternal life for the sake of temporary comfort. If you and I suffer in this life, it is part of God's plan and in accordance with His will... but not for the sake of our suffering. Ultimately, it all works together "to strengthen us and keep us firm in His word and faith until we die."
That's the "will" we pray for in this petition! That is the will of "our Father", the gracious God.
This is how the Reformers understood this Third Petition, too. "How is God's will done?" They answered: "God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens us and keeps us firm in His word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will."
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
The Lord's Prayer: The Second Petition
The second petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Thy kingdom come."
After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the second petition means in this way: "The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also."
It helps to remember that the word "kingdom" is almost always a "verbal noun" in Scripture. In other words, a "kingdom" is "what a king does" more than just "where a king does it." The kingdom is the reign of the king.
Of course, when you are talking about the "king of creation" and "lord of the nations," you might wonder how it could possibly happen that His kingdom hasn't already come to you and everyone else?
And that's where we need to recognize that this kingdom is the kingdom of Christ that will never end. Unbelievers are not a part of this kingdom, unless they are drawn into it by God's gracious calling through the Gospel. When that happens, His kingdom comes to them.
But the kingdom doesn't just come once (i.e., to a unbeliever); it keeps on coming to those who are in it! Think about it: A king doesn't stop reigning in His subjects' lives just because they have become His subjects. Just the opposite! So the kingdom keeps coming to those who are in the kingdom.
With that as a backdrop, we can understand the Reformer's follow-up question and answer from the Small Catechism: "How does God's kingdom come?" Answer: "God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity."
After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the second petition means in this way: "The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also."
It helps to remember that the word "kingdom" is almost always a "verbal noun" in Scripture. In other words, a "kingdom" is "what a king does" more than just "where a king does it." The kingdom is the reign of the king.
Of course, when you are talking about the "king of creation" and "lord of the nations," you might wonder how it could possibly happen that His kingdom hasn't already come to you and everyone else?
And that's where we need to recognize that this kingdom is the kingdom of Christ that will never end. Unbelievers are not a part of this kingdom, unless they are drawn into it by God's gracious calling through the Gospel. When that happens, His kingdom comes to them.
But the kingdom doesn't just come once (i.e., to a unbeliever); it keeps on coming to those who are in it! Think about it: A king doesn't stop reigning in His subjects' lives just because they have become His subjects. Just the opposite! So the kingdom keeps coming to those who are in the kingdom.
With that as a backdrop, we can understand the Reformer's follow-up question and answer from the Small Catechism: "How does God's kingdom come?" Answer: "God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity."
The Lord's Prayer: The First Petition
As I mentioned in the last post, the main body of the Lord's Prayer is a string of "petitions" - i.e., things we are asking God to do. Petition is the heart of prayer!
The first petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Hallowed be Thy name."
After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the first petition means in this way: "God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also."
Of course, this immediately begs a second question: "How is God's name kept holy?" And answering this question requires that we remember what "holy" is. It means "set apart" or "not mixed with the common, i.e., everything else."
Moreover, we need to remember that God's "name" is more than just the word or words we use to address Him, such as "Our Father who art in heaven" (as we do in the Lord's Prayer) or "Dear God" (as we sometimes do in personal prayers). God's Name is everything about Him; it's His essence and attributes. And it goes even further than that: His Name is Who He is and what He does for us, too. The Name of God is the story of God and His dealings with mankind.
In view of this, the Reformers answered the second question in this way: "God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!"
The first petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Hallowed be Thy name."
After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the first petition means in this way: "God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also."
Of course, this immediately begs a second question: "How is God's name kept holy?" And answering this question requires that we remember what "holy" is. It means "set apart" or "not mixed with the common, i.e., everything else."
Moreover, we need to remember that God's "name" is more than just the word or words we use to address Him, such as "Our Father who art in heaven" (as we do in the Lord's Prayer) or "Dear God" (as we sometimes do in personal prayers). God's Name is everything about Him; it's His essence and attributes. And it goes even further than that: His Name is Who He is and what He does for us, too. The Name of God is the story of God and His dealings with mankind.
In view of this, the Reformers answered the second question in this way: "God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!"
Sunday, March 1, 2020
The Lord's Prayer: Introduction
The Lord's Prayer does come with an introduction, but most of us don't think of it that way. It's the words, "Our Father, who art in heaven." The reason this is considered the "introduction" is because it doesn't ask for anything. The rest of the prayer (with the exception of the last line) is a string of "petitions" (i.e., things we are asking God to do), but here in the introduction we are simply stating who we are praying to.
Many of us start our prayers "Dear God" or "God" or "Lord" or something akin to that. Sometimes we leave off the introduction entirely and barrel straight into the need of the moment. All of these are fine, of course, but Jesus is urging us in this model prayer to consider who God is for us as we pray to Him: He is our heavenly Father.
Now "father" can carry a lot of negative connotations for people because they've had less-than-perfect (and sometimes FAR-less-than-perfect) fathers. Instead of refusing to call God "Father" because of the failings of our earthly fathers, recognize that God is the father par excellence and that all earthly fathers are measured against Him.
And what does that mean? To have a heavenly Father? The Reformers put it this way in the catechism: "With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father."
Notice the words: "tenderly invites us," "true Father," "as dear children ask their dear father." When we approach our heavenly Father as His children, we are entering into the relationship that we were meant to have with our earthly fathers, too, before sin entered the world and ruined it for far too many. But rejoice! In God you have a true, heavenly Father. And you can pray to Him boldly and confidently as a dearly loved child!
Many of us start our prayers "Dear God" or "God" or "Lord" or something akin to that. Sometimes we leave off the introduction entirely and barrel straight into the need of the moment. All of these are fine, of course, but Jesus is urging us in this model prayer to consider who God is for us as we pray to Him: He is our heavenly Father.
Now "father" can carry a lot of negative connotations for people because they've had less-than-perfect (and sometimes FAR-less-than-perfect) fathers. Instead of refusing to call God "Father" because of the failings of our earthly fathers, recognize that God is the father par excellence and that all earthly fathers are measured against Him.
And what does that mean? To have a heavenly Father? The Reformers put it this way in the catechism: "With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father."
Notice the words: "tenderly invites us," "true Father," "as dear children ask their dear father." When we approach our heavenly Father as His children, we are entering into the relationship that we were meant to have with our earthly fathers, too, before sin entered the world and ruined it for far too many. But rejoice! In God you have a true, heavenly Father. And you can pray to Him boldly and confidently as a dearly loved child!
Prayer: But What Should I Ask For?
But how should I pray? What kinds of things should I ask for? Is there anything I shouldn't?
Jesus' disciples asked the same kind of questions once when He was praying "in a certain place. ... One of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.' And he said to them, 'When you pray, say:
'Father, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:1-4)
Most of you will recognize this as the beginning of what we call the Lord's Prayer. There is another account of Jesus giving this prayer to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13.
Now Jesus wasn't telling us the only words that we can use to pray, but He was telling us the kind of things we can and should pray for. And this prayer covers a lot of ground! In the next nine posts, we'll look at each of these petitions and consider how we can pray these same things in our lives!
But before we move on, I must give you the "fuller" version of the Lord's Prayer that we use in worship on Sunday. This longer version is based on the version from Matthew's Gospel with a line added by the early church at the end.
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus' disciples asked the same kind of questions once when He was praying "in a certain place. ... One of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.' And he said to them, 'When you pray, say:
'Father, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:1-4)
Most of you will recognize this as the beginning of what we call the Lord's Prayer. There is another account of Jesus giving this prayer to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13.
Now Jesus wasn't telling us the only words that we can use to pray, but He was telling us the kind of things we can and should pray for. And this prayer covers a lot of ground! In the next nine posts, we'll look at each of these petitions and consider how we can pray these same things in our lives!
But before we move on, I must give you the "fuller" version of the Lord's Prayer that we use in worship on Sunday. This longer version is based on the version from Matthew's Gospel with a line added by the early church at the end.
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and glory forever and ever. Amen.
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