Why a new blog?
When I first started my blog here, I was looking for a way to publish some of the sermons I have preached over the years. I was under no illusion that anyone would actually want to read them, but I wanted to be able to have some record of my ministry in the word.
As I started to post about other issues on the this blog I began to feel that it was not the best forum to post the sermons on. It seemed awkward to have a sermon or lesson on prayer in one post and then a discussion of my favorite movies in another. Therefore, I am going to try to post all sermon and lesson related materials over there and everything else here.
I hope you will visit there when possible and I will do my best to post on a regular basis.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
My Favorite Movies List
What makes a movie special? Why is it that one man's four star film is another man's bomb? As with most creative projects, personal taste certainly comes into play. Given the subjectivity of people's movie tastes I don't expect you to agree with my list of favorite films. However, I wanted to share my list with you any way. Over the next several weeks I am going to talk about the movies I like to watch and discuss why I like them. I probably won't be able to explain why I like some movies (my reasons are beyond understanding), but I will do my best. Notice also that this my list of FAVORITE movies, I won't pretend to think that these are the BEST movies ever made. For a sample of a list of best movies ever made check here and here.
I acknowledge up front that my list is very limited given that I have seen only a small portion of the total number of movies ever made. I also acknowledge that my list favors the more recent releases, although I am working on seeing more older movies. One other thing, since some of these movies were rated R when they were released, I am recommending that if you choose to see one of them, you look for the edited versions on one of the broadcast channels (or AMC, Turner Classic Movies etc.). Remember too, not all R rated movies are created equally.
Here is my list of favorite movies by category.
Dramas
To Kill a Mocking Bird
All about Eve
Family Man
Amadeus
The Passion of the Christ (R)
Goodfellas (R)
The Godfather Pt. 1 (R)
The Godfather Pt. 2 (R)
The Godfather Pt. 3 (R)
Crimson Tide (R)
Something Wild (R)
A Face in the Crowd
Casablanca
The Shawshank Redemption (R)
Gone With the Wind
Soylent Green
Lawrence of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
LA Confidential (R)
Double Indemnity
Witness (R)
The Notebook
Crash (the Paul Haggis) (R)
Mr. Holland’s Opus
The Hustler
The Ten Commandments
Westerns
High Plains Drifter (R)
Silverado
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Big Jake
Hombre
Musicals
Guys and Dolls
Oklahoma
The Wizard of Oz
White Christmas
Robin & the Seven Hoods
Les Miserables
Comedys
When Harry Met Sally
You’ve Got Mail
The Princess Bride
Groundhog Day
Into the Night (John Landis)
My Blue Heaven
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Animal House (R)
Action
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
First Blood (the first Rambo)
Die Hard 1 (R)
Die Hard 2 (R)
Rocky 3
The Mask of Zorro
Big Trouble in Little China
Master and Commander the Far Side of the World
Lethal Weapon (R)
Payback (R)
Road House (R)
The Patriot (R)
I acknowledge up front that my list is very limited given that I have seen only a small portion of the total number of movies ever made. I also acknowledge that my list favors the more recent releases, although I am working on seeing more older movies. One other thing, since some of these movies were rated R when they were released, I am recommending that if you choose to see one of them, you look for the edited versions on one of the broadcast channels (or AMC, Turner Classic Movies etc.). Remember too, not all R rated movies are created equally.
Here is my list of favorite movies by category.
Dramas
To Kill a Mocking Bird
All about Eve
Family Man
Amadeus
The Passion of the Christ (R)
Goodfellas (R)
The Godfather Pt. 1 (R)
The Godfather Pt. 2 (R)
The Godfather Pt. 3 (R)
Crimson Tide (R)
Something Wild (R)
A Face in the Crowd
Casablanca
The Shawshank Redemption (R)
Gone With the Wind
Soylent Green
Lawrence of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
LA Confidential (R)
Double Indemnity
Witness (R)
The Notebook
Crash (the Paul Haggis) (R)
Mr. Holland’s Opus
The Hustler
The Ten Commandments
Westerns
High Plains Drifter (R)
Silverado
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Big Jake
Hombre
Musicals
Guys and Dolls
Oklahoma
The Wizard of Oz
White Christmas
Robin & the Seven Hoods
Les Miserables
Comedys
When Harry Met Sally
You’ve Got Mail
The Princess Bride
Groundhog Day
Into the Night (John Landis)
My Blue Heaven
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Animal House (R)
Action
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
First Blood (the first Rambo)
Die Hard 1 (R)
Die Hard 2 (R)
Rocky 3
The Mask of Zorro
Big Trouble in Little China
Master and Commander the Far Side of the World
Lethal Weapon (R)
Payback (R)
Road House (R)
The Patriot (R)
Sunday, April 23, 2006
More Censorship From The Left
Increasingly, censorship is not a problem with the right side of the political persepctive but with the left. This article reminds us of the consequences of political correctness. HT Michelle Malkin
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
America's Best Anchor
Britt Hume has always been a favorite of mine, even when he was at ABC, there was just something about him that seemed to be calming and steadying. This article by Howard Kurtz confirms what I already knew to be true. "Special Report" is my favorite program on Fox News, I rarely miss it. (HT The Corner)
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Fun and Games
Hairball Bowling is fun but not as fun as Penguin Batting. If you are a member of PETA please don't click on the links.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Psalm 23 - I Shall Not Want
In my last post we looked at the Shepherd, the person. This time we are going to look more at the provision of the Shepherd. Who is the Shepherd? He is Yahweh / Jehovah the Great I Am. He is the self-existent, self-sufficient, creator God of the universe! He is our Shepherd!
Now if He is our Shepherd then that makes us His sheep. How are we like sheep? (Psalm 44:22; Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-16; Isaiah 40:10-11 etc.) We are like sheep in at least three ways.
(1) We tend to go astray
“All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isa. 53:6). “What man having a hundred sheep, if he lost one . . . will go after that which was lost” (Luke 15:4).
Sheep are stubborn, sheep can get easily lost because they tend to go their own way. Like sheep, believers have a tendency to go their own direction rather than follow the divine Shepherds plan.
Psalm 119:176 “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.”
(2) We are helpless and defenseless
We are an easy target of the enemy. “Grievous wolves shall enter, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). We have no sense of danger. Sheep have no instinct to warn them of snakes, wolves, bears, parasites, etc. We are defenseless. Sheep have no weapons to defend themselves, no claws, teeth, fangs, etc. “The wolf catcheth them” (John 10:12).
(3) We are not too bright
In fact we are dumb. “As a sheep before a shearer is dumb” (Isa. 53:7).
Sheep need the guidance of the shepherd for food and protection from harmful and poisonous weeds. They will eat anything. Similarly, believers have a propensity for eating up the latest trends and Christian “cures.”
Did you know that if a sheep rolls over on his back he is done for, unless someone intervenes? Once on their back sheep have no way of turning themselves upright, they will just lay there with their feet up in the air to be eaten by a predator or die from starvation and the elements.
Here is the deal!
The condition of any sheep is totally dependent on the care of the shepherd. If the shepherd is slack, the sheep will be sickly and in constant danger. Conversely, if the shepherd is diligent, the sheep will be healthy and safe.
Thankfully, the LORD (Yahweh / Jehovah) is our shepherd.
Last time we said that we know that Jehovah the Shepherd loves us and cares for us because,
(1) He Created Us
(2) He Redeems Us
(3) He Provides for Us
Having discussed the Shepherd's role in creation and redemption in the last post, I want to discuss his role in provision. What do we mean when we say that He provides for us? Mainly, we mean that I Shall Not Want – Lit. I shall not be in want
Warren Wiersbe says that God’s people in this Psalm are pictured as lowly sheep so that we can learn about the shepherd and see how tenderly He cares and provides for us.
“In this Psalm, David explains that if we follow the Lord and trust in Him, He will meet our every need, no matter what the circumstances may be.” (Be Worshipful, pp. 94)
Now, when David wrote the phrase, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want, I think that he had two distinct meanings in mind.
“I shall not be in want, that is, I shall lack nothing I need”
“I shall not be in want, that is, the Shepherd is all I need”
Let’s look at these two meanings a little closer.
Meaning #1 – I shall lack nothing I need
Left to themselves sheep lack everything! But if we belong to the one who is self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and utterly unchanged by time, we will lack nothing. He is sufficient for all things and will provide for us all that we need, whether they are physical things or spiritual things.
I shall not be in want for physical things
Psalms 37:25 (cf. Matthew 6:19-34)
25 I have been young, and now I am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Or his descendants begging bread.
The problem with our perspective about this principle is that we tend to focus on what we want and not what we need. It is an issue of contentment.
1 Timothy 6:6-10
6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
Most people in our society are consumed with the idea of getting more and bigger stuff. People today strap themselves with huge mortgages, heavy car payments, high credit card bills, and still we are constantly looking for more. Sadly, we will never find true satisfaction until we learn to accept what God wants us to have and we become content with Him!
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
THEREFORE, WE MUST FIND OUR SATISFACTION IN THE LORD
The real problem with those who are not satisfied is that they have not come to the place where they completely trust or are not willing to give their lives to the Lord and let Him have complete control. It is an issue of surrender.
Philippians 4:11-13, 19
11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I shall not be in want for spiritual things
2 Peter 1:3-4 (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9; Colossians 2:10)
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Someone has said, “I have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because ‘The LORD is my Shepherd.”
In John 10 Jesus is talking primarily about spiritual things as he reveals Himself as the Good Shepherd. What has the Good Shepherd provided for us?
(1) Eternal Life
John 10:27-29
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
By the way, the eternal security of the believer is just one of the many reasons that we can implicitly trust Him. Not only has he provided the way to heaven, but once we know Christ we can never ever lose Him.
How do we recognize His sheep?
· They know Him (His voice)
· They love Him
· They trust Him
· They follow Him
(2) Abundant Life
John 10:10
10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
The happiest people you will ever know are those who have a strong trust in the Lord’s provision. They understand that the Christ-life is full of true joy, unfathomable peace, spiritual strength, and everlasting satisfaction.
We can never be truly satisfied apart from complete trust in Christ’s Person! Remember,
· He is the “great Shepherd” (Heb. 13:20)
· He is the “Shepherd and Bishop of our souls” (1 Peter 2:25)
· He is the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4)
As the Great Shepherd of the sheep, as the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, as the Chief Shepherd, He cares for us as though we were His sole concern in the entire universe.
My friends, we lack nothing with the Lord as our shepherd.
o We shall not want rest… “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
o We shall not want refreshment… “He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
o We shall not want restoration… “He restoreth my soul.”
o We shall not want guidance… “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
o We shall not want companionship in the hours of trial… “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
o We will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”
o We shall not want comfort… “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
o We shall not want provision… “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”
o We shall not want power… “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
o We shall not want satisfaction… “My cup runneth over.”
o We shall not want joy… “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
o We shall not want a home… “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Meaning #2 – The Shepherd is all I need
“The Lord is my Shepherd, He is all I want.”
Only when you fully understand that you belong to the Shepherd will you find true satisfaction and peace. The things of this world will never satisfy us. Rather, they have a tendency to produce in us an insatiable desire for more. This desire can never be quenched. True satisfaction in life comes only through our trusting in the care of our Shepherd.
Phillip Keller, in his book “A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm,” describes what it was like when he bought his first thirty sheep. He wrote,
“Each sheep-man has his own distinctive earmark which he cuts into one or other of the ears of his sheep. In this way, even at a distance, it is easy to determine to whom the sheep belong. It was not the most pleasant procedure to catch each ewe in turn and lay her ear on a wooden block, then notch it deeply with the razor-sharp edge of the knife. There was pain for both of us. But from our mutual suffering an indelible lifelong mark of ownership was made that could never be erased. And from then on every sheep that came into my possession would bear my mark” (pp. 23-24).
The same is true with us. God has forever connected us to Himself through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wounds that he suffered for us. However, the Lord also put His mark or seal upon us.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
You see, a shepherd may be the owner of the sheep, but more than this he is always the manager of the sheep! He guides them everywhere they go and literally makes their decisions for them!
The greatest decision that you will ever make as a believer is that you are no longer in charge of your life and decisions. Rather, you completely surrender to Him and put your trust in His position as your shepherd!
Only when we can truly say that, “the Lord is my shepherd,” will we ever be able to say, “I shall not want.”
Now if He is our Shepherd then that makes us His sheep. How are we like sheep? (Psalm 44:22; Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-16; Isaiah 40:10-11 etc.) We are like sheep in at least three ways.
(1) We tend to go astray
“All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isa. 53:6). “What man having a hundred sheep, if he lost one . . . will go after that which was lost” (Luke 15:4).
Sheep are stubborn, sheep can get easily lost because they tend to go their own way. Like sheep, believers have a tendency to go their own direction rather than follow the divine Shepherds plan.
Psalm 119:176 “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.”
(2) We are helpless and defenseless
We are an easy target of the enemy. “Grievous wolves shall enter, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). We have no sense of danger. Sheep have no instinct to warn them of snakes, wolves, bears, parasites, etc. We are defenseless. Sheep have no weapons to defend themselves, no claws, teeth, fangs, etc. “The wolf catcheth them” (John 10:12).
(3) We are not too bright
In fact we are dumb. “As a sheep before a shearer is dumb” (Isa. 53:7).
Sheep need the guidance of the shepherd for food and protection from harmful and poisonous weeds. They will eat anything. Similarly, believers have a propensity for eating up the latest trends and Christian “cures.”
Did you know that if a sheep rolls over on his back he is done for, unless someone intervenes? Once on their back sheep have no way of turning themselves upright, they will just lay there with their feet up in the air to be eaten by a predator or die from starvation and the elements.
Here is the deal!
The condition of any sheep is totally dependent on the care of the shepherd. If the shepherd is slack, the sheep will be sickly and in constant danger. Conversely, if the shepherd is diligent, the sheep will be healthy and safe.
Thankfully, the LORD (Yahweh / Jehovah) is our shepherd.
Last time we said that we know that Jehovah the Shepherd loves us and cares for us because,
(1) He Created Us
(2) He Redeems Us
(3) He Provides for Us
Having discussed the Shepherd's role in creation and redemption in the last post, I want to discuss his role in provision. What do we mean when we say that He provides for us? Mainly, we mean that I Shall Not Want – Lit. I shall not be in want
Warren Wiersbe says that God’s people in this Psalm are pictured as lowly sheep so that we can learn about the shepherd and see how tenderly He cares and provides for us.
“In this Psalm, David explains that if we follow the Lord and trust in Him, He will meet our every need, no matter what the circumstances may be.” (Be Worshipful, pp. 94)
Now, when David wrote the phrase, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want, I think that he had two distinct meanings in mind.
“I shall not be in want, that is, I shall lack nothing I need”
“I shall not be in want, that is, the Shepherd is all I need”
Let’s look at these two meanings a little closer.
Meaning #1 – I shall lack nothing I need
Left to themselves sheep lack everything! But if we belong to the one who is self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and utterly unchanged by time, we will lack nothing. He is sufficient for all things and will provide for us all that we need, whether they are physical things or spiritual things.
I shall not be in want for physical things
Psalms 37:25 (cf. Matthew 6:19-34)
25 I have been young, and now I am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Or his descendants begging bread.
The problem with our perspective about this principle is that we tend to focus on what we want and not what we need. It is an issue of contentment.
1 Timothy 6:6-10
6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
Most people in our society are consumed with the idea of getting more and bigger stuff. People today strap themselves with huge mortgages, heavy car payments, high credit card bills, and still we are constantly looking for more. Sadly, we will never find true satisfaction until we learn to accept what God wants us to have and we become content with Him!
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
THEREFORE, WE MUST FIND OUR SATISFACTION IN THE LORD
The real problem with those who are not satisfied is that they have not come to the place where they completely trust or are not willing to give their lives to the Lord and let Him have complete control. It is an issue of surrender.
Philippians 4:11-13, 19
11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I shall not be in want for spiritual things
2 Peter 1:3-4 (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9; Colossians 2:10)
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Someone has said, “I have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because ‘The LORD is my Shepherd.”
In John 10 Jesus is talking primarily about spiritual things as he reveals Himself as the Good Shepherd. What has the Good Shepherd provided for us?
(1) Eternal Life
John 10:27-29
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
By the way, the eternal security of the believer is just one of the many reasons that we can implicitly trust Him. Not only has he provided the way to heaven, but once we know Christ we can never ever lose Him.
How do we recognize His sheep?
· They know Him (His voice)
· They love Him
· They trust Him
· They follow Him
(2) Abundant Life
John 10:10
10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
The happiest people you will ever know are those who have a strong trust in the Lord’s provision. They understand that the Christ-life is full of true joy, unfathomable peace, spiritual strength, and everlasting satisfaction.
We can never be truly satisfied apart from complete trust in Christ’s Person! Remember,
· He is the “great Shepherd” (Heb. 13:20)
· He is the “Shepherd and Bishop of our souls” (1 Peter 2:25)
· He is the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4)
As the Great Shepherd of the sheep, as the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, as the Chief Shepherd, He cares for us as though we were His sole concern in the entire universe.
My friends, we lack nothing with the Lord as our shepherd.
o We shall not want rest… “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
o We shall not want refreshment… “He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
o We shall not want restoration… “He restoreth my soul.”
o We shall not want guidance… “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
o We shall not want companionship in the hours of trial… “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
o We will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”
o We shall not want comfort… “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
o We shall not want provision… “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”
o We shall not want power… “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
o We shall not want satisfaction… “My cup runneth over.”
o We shall not want joy… “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
o We shall not want a home… “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Meaning #2 – The Shepherd is all I need
“The Lord is my Shepherd, He is all I want.”
Only when you fully understand that you belong to the Shepherd will you find true satisfaction and peace. The things of this world will never satisfy us. Rather, they have a tendency to produce in us an insatiable desire for more. This desire can never be quenched. True satisfaction in life comes only through our trusting in the care of our Shepherd.
Phillip Keller, in his book “A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm,” describes what it was like when he bought his first thirty sheep. He wrote,
“Each sheep-man has his own distinctive earmark which he cuts into one or other of the ears of his sheep. In this way, even at a distance, it is easy to determine to whom the sheep belong. It was not the most pleasant procedure to catch each ewe in turn and lay her ear on a wooden block, then notch it deeply with the razor-sharp edge of the knife. There was pain for both of us. But from our mutual suffering an indelible lifelong mark of ownership was made that could never be erased. And from then on every sheep that came into my possession would bear my mark” (pp. 23-24).
The same is true with us. God has forever connected us to Himself through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wounds that he suffered for us. However, the Lord also put His mark or seal upon us.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
You see, a shepherd may be the owner of the sheep, but more than this he is always the manager of the sheep! He guides them everywhere they go and literally makes their decisions for them!
The greatest decision that you will ever make as a believer is that you are no longer in charge of your life and decisions. Rather, you completely surrender to Him and put your trust in His position as your shepherd!
Only when we can truly say that, “the Lord is my shepherd,” will we ever be able to say, “I shall not want.”
News You Won't Hear in the Main Stream Media
Tired of all the bad news about Iraq? Check this out! HT - instapundit
What about all those Generals complaining about Rumsfeld? For a little perspective check out this graphic. HT Hugh Hewitt
What about all those Generals complaining about Rumsfeld? For a little perspective check out this graphic. HT Hugh Hewitt
Sunday, April 16, 2006
The Commonly Confused Words Test
Here are my results (English has never been my best subject).
English GeniusYou scored 85% Beginner, 92% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 80% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!
See how well you can do! HT Captains Quarters
English GeniusYou scored 85% Beginner, 92% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 80% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!
See how well you can do! HT Captains Quarters
Saturday, April 15, 2006
The Ten Commandments
I am watching the Ten Commandments (Cecil B DeMille version), and I am amazed at how much I still like this movie (I have seen it at least twenty times, although it has been several years since my last viewing). Even though the movie came out in 1956 it still holds up quite well.
There is a danger for movies like this in that they don't always age very well, the Ten Commandments could easily have become campish, but somehow it doesn't come across that way. The actors seem to be having a great time and give it their all.
What a great cast!
Charlton Heston - Moses
....
Yul Brynner - Ramses
....
Anne Baxter - Nefretiri
....
Edward G. Robinson - Dathan
....
Yvonne De Carlo - Sephora
....
Debra Paget - Lilia
....
John Derek - Joshua
....
Cedric Hardwicke - Sethi
....
Nina Foch - Bithiah
....
Martha Scott - Yochabel
....
Judith Anderson - Memnet
....
Vincent Price Baka
....
John Carradine - Aaron
....
Olive Deering - Miriam
The Ten Commandments was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture (eventually losing to Around the World in 80 Days) but winning in only one category (Best Effects / Special Effects).
The scene where the Pharaoh Sethi sends Moses out as he commands that the name Moses be stricken from all records and monuments is still very powerful. It reminds me of the passage in Hebrews 11:24-26
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.(NAS)
Back to the movie.
There is a danger for movies like this in that they don't always age very well, the Ten Commandments could easily have become campish, but somehow it doesn't come across that way. The actors seem to be having a great time and give it their all.
What a great cast!
Charlton Heston - Moses
....
Yul Brynner - Ramses
....
Anne Baxter - Nefretiri
....
Edward G. Robinson - Dathan
....
Yvonne De Carlo - Sephora
....
Debra Paget - Lilia
....
John Derek - Joshua
....
Cedric Hardwicke - Sethi
....
Nina Foch - Bithiah
....
Martha Scott - Yochabel
....
Judith Anderson - Memnet
....
Vincent Price Baka
....
John Carradine - Aaron
....
Olive Deering - Miriam
The Ten Commandments was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture (eventually losing to Around the World in 80 Days) but winning in only one category (Best Effects / Special Effects).
The scene where the Pharaoh Sethi sends Moses out as he commands that the name Moses be stricken from all records and monuments is still very powerful. It reminds me of the passage in Hebrews 11:24-26
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.(NAS)
Back to the movie.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Blogossary
Ever wonder what a meme is? How about those initials HT or h/t, what do they stand for? What are tags, blogrolls and trackbacks? Find out at this great website. (HT Justin Taylor)
Monday, April 10, 2006
A New Series
I am going to be posting a new series of devotional lessons from Psalm 23. As I mentioned before I began my last series, one of the reasons I started this blog was so that I would have a way to share my sermons with others beyond the confines of my local church in Wasco.
The upcoming posts on Psalm 23 are adapted from a series I did with my Voyager Class (Senior Adult Sunday morning Bible Study group). I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
No one receives a greater blessing from a good Bible lesson than the teacher does. After all, if he has done his job then he has spent hours studying, reading and researching the material. What is shared in the lesson has first and foremost traveled through his mind to his heart to his will. In other words, before it has ever been taught, the lesson has affected the teacher intellectually, emotionally and volitionally. This is my desire for you as you read these adaptions.
As is always the case, I have tried to give credit to others, where credit is due.
The upcoming posts on Psalm 23 are adapted from a series I did with my Voyager Class (Senior Adult Sunday morning Bible Study group). I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
No one receives a greater blessing from a good Bible lesson than the teacher does. After all, if he has done his job then he has spent hours studying, reading and researching the material. What is shared in the lesson has first and foremost traveled through his mind to his heart to his will. In other words, before it has ever been taught, the lesson has affected the teacher intellectually, emotionally and volitionally. This is my desire for you as you read these adaptions.
As is always the case, I have tried to give credit to others, where credit is due.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
A Laymen's Guide to the Gospel of Judas
Here is more helpful information on the so-called gospel of Judas.
(HT http://triablogue.blogspot.com/)
(HT http://triablogue.blogspot.com/)
Friday, April 07, 2006
What About Gambling?
Is gambling a sin? This has always been a tough one for me. Instinctively, I have always thought it was inappropriate for a Christian to gamble. However, over the years I have waivered somewhat, especially since I have never heard a good biblical argument against it. Now, Phil Johnson has done just that.
Phil defines gambling this way:
(1) Something valuable is placed at risk
(2) Something belonging to someone else is staked as a prize
(3) An element of chance supposedly determines the outcome
His conclusion? "Gambling violates every biblical principle of economics." He goes on to say,
In an earlier post I cited Ephesians 4:28: "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
"There's far more in that commandment than merely a prohibition against stealing. It also suggests that the proper way to earn wealth is by some form of work. It furthermore reminds us that a wonderful use of surplus wealth is charity towards the poor. Gambling subverts all those principles.
Gambling is economic fraud. It produces nothing. It adds nothing to the larger economy. When you invest money in the stock market, that money goes to work in the economy. It is not like a gambling stake, which just sits there in the jackpot, waiting to be won by one of the players. By the way, that's one more reason investing is a legitimate means of gaining wealth whereas gambling is not.
Whatever taxes and commissions are skimmed from government-regulated lotteries and actually put back into the economy are more than offset by the losses of people who purchase tickets and do not win. Statistics show clearly that the most profoundly negative economic effects of gambling are felt in the sectors of society where the poverty level is already high. So gambling's worst impact hurts the very same segments of society where charity would have done the most good.
The corollary of this is that the apparent prosperity of casinos in places like Las Vegas is gained at the direct expense of other communities, industries, and individuals. Gambling is always a zero-sum game.
Gambling simply transfers money from the hands of many to the hands of the few through frivolous means fraught with questionable motives—just the opposite of all sound economic principles.
The Bible does spell out some clear principles regarding economics and the exchange of money, goods, and services.Of course, property and possessions were normally passed on within one's own family (or to one's legal heirs) by inheritance.
Beyond that, however, there are three legitimate means of exchanging wealth and transferring property to others. One is through labor, where money is earned by effort expended (Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12; Luke 10:7). Another is through commerce (including buying, selling, and otherwise investing—Matthew 25:14-29). The third is through giving—including gifts of charity (Luke 19:8; Ephesians 4:28).
Gambling has none of the elements that make those enterprises good. It involves no work. It contributes nothing of value to the economy. And it is the moral antithesis of charity.
Speaking of gambling's macro effects on the economy, much more could be said about the evil that surrounds the gambling industry. It breeds crime and corruption; it undermines character; it does not promote godliness; it violates private industry; it undermines the good of society; it exploits the poor; and it promotes false values.
Furthermore, when government sanctions and even participates in sponsoring gambling, it departs from (and even works against) the God-ordained role of government, which is to seek the public welfare by punishing crime, keeping order, and defending against foreign attacks. State-sanctioned gambling makes the government the oppressor of the poor and the promoter of activities that spawn all kinds of corruption and evil.
Check out his four part series.
Phil defines gambling this way:
(1) Something valuable is placed at risk
(2) Something belonging to someone else is staked as a prize
(3) An element of chance supposedly determines the outcome
(4) In all gambling, wealth is either lost or changes hands; no new wealth or other benefit is created.
His conclusion? "Gambling violates every biblical principle of economics." He goes on to say,
In an earlier post I cited Ephesians 4:28: "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
"There's far more in that commandment than merely a prohibition against stealing. It also suggests that the proper way to earn wealth is by some form of work. It furthermore reminds us that a wonderful use of surplus wealth is charity towards the poor. Gambling subverts all those principles.
Gambling is economic fraud. It produces nothing. It adds nothing to the larger economy. When you invest money in the stock market, that money goes to work in the economy. It is not like a gambling stake, which just sits there in the jackpot, waiting to be won by one of the players. By the way, that's one more reason investing is a legitimate means of gaining wealth whereas gambling is not.
Whatever taxes and commissions are skimmed from government-regulated lotteries and actually put back into the economy are more than offset by the losses of people who purchase tickets and do not win. Statistics show clearly that the most profoundly negative economic effects of gambling are felt in the sectors of society where the poverty level is already high. So gambling's worst impact hurts the very same segments of society where charity would have done the most good.
The corollary of this is that the apparent prosperity of casinos in places like Las Vegas is gained at the direct expense of other communities, industries, and individuals. Gambling is always a zero-sum game.
Gambling simply transfers money from the hands of many to the hands of the few through frivolous means fraught with questionable motives—just the opposite of all sound economic principles.
The Bible does spell out some clear principles regarding economics and the exchange of money, goods, and services.Of course, property and possessions were normally passed on within one's own family (or to one's legal heirs) by inheritance.
Beyond that, however, there are three legitimate means of exchanging wealth and transferring property to others. One is through labor, where money is earned by effort expended (Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12; Luke 10:7). Another is through commerce (including buying, selling, and otherwise investing—Matthew 25:14-29). The third is through giving—including gifts of charity (Luke 19:8; Ephesians 4:28).
Gambling has none of the elements that make those enterprises good. It involves no work. It contributes nothing of value to the economy. And it is the moral antithesis of charity.
Speaking of gambling's macro effects on the economy, much more could be said about the evil that surrounds the gambling industry. It breeds crime and corruption; it undermines character; it does not promote godliness; it violates private industry; it undermines the good of society; it exploits the poor; and it promotes false values.
Furthermore, when government sanctions and even participates in sponsoring gambling, it departs from (and even works against) the God-ordained role of government, which is to seek the public welfare by punishing crime, keeping order, and defending against foreign attacks. State-sanctioned gambling makes the government the oppressor of the poor and the promoter of activities that spawn all kinds of corruption and evil.
Check out his four part series.
The Gospel of Judas
Wondering what all the fuss is about? Should those of us who believe the Bible is the Word of God be concerned? Of course not! This is more of the gnostic heresy that seems to be very popular today. Dr. Al Mohler has a great article on the subject.
I can't help but think the timing of its release is related in someway to the upcoming Da Vinci Code movie. I hope you are continuing to check out Mark D. Roberts series on the Da Vinci Opportunity.
UPDATE: It seems I was right to be suspicious of the timing of its release.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Persistent Prayer
Intro: Today, I am posting the final sermon in the series called the Pattern of Prayer based on Luke 11:1-13. As we have already established the context revolves around Jesus teaching His disciples “how to pray.” This section of teaching on prayer was spurred by Jesus’ own prayer life.
Þ v.1 – We are reminded that Jesus exemplified the priority of prayer in His own life.
Several times in Luke’s Gospel we are reminded that this was an important part of Jesus’ life on earth. For example, we find him praying following His baptism (Luke 3:21), before selecting the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12), prior to asking the twelve for their confession of faith (Luke 9:18), and before His transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29).
Now here in Luke 11:1, we see Him taking time out of His busy day to pray. This was not unusual since Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus “…..Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”
On this day one of His disciples, no doubt having his spiritual appetite whetted by Jesus own prayer life, asked Him to teach them how to pray, “…..just as John also taught his disciples” It was not uncommon for teachers in that day to teach their disciples “how to pray” as a way of communicating, almost catechizing the disciples in their doctrines. Obviously, John the Baptist had done this very thing. This way of teaching is effective because our prayers inevitably reflect our theology. You can always tell what a person believes by listening to them pray.
Þ v.2-4 – Jesus establishes a pattern for prayer for His disciples.
I prefer to call this prayer the “Disciples Prayer” rather than the “Lord’s Prayer.” It is the Lord’s Prayer only in the sense that He taught it to His disciples, but not in the sense that He Himself ever prayed such a prayer. (For example Jesus could never pray “forgive us our sins”). The real Lord’s Prayer is found in John 17
This prayer is given to the Disciples to give them an example of how to pray. No where is there evidence that the disciples quoted this prayer word for word nor is there any command in scripture to recite this prayer by rote. In fact, just the opposite is true (cf. Mt.6:7).
In our previous studies we have noted that there are slight differences between Luke’s version and Matthew’s version which indicates to me that Jesus taught more than once on the subject of prayer. This prayer is to be a model prayer, where certain truths are taught and certain principles are established concerning prayer.
What are those principles?
¨ Principle #1 – Prayer is An Intimate Relationship with God The Father
The single word “Father” points to personal / intimate nature of prayer.
¨ Principle #2 – Prayer is A Reverent Response to the Character of God
The phrase “Hallowed be Thy name” points us to the praise of prayer.
¨ Principle #3 – Prayer is A Submissive Recognition of The Kingship of God
The phrase “Thy Kingdom come” points us to the priority of prayer.
¨ Principle #4 – Prayer is A Humble Reliance on the Provision of God
The phrase “Give us each day our daily bread” points us to the provision of prayer.
¨ Principle #5 – Prayer is A Penitent Request For the Forgiveness of God
The phrase “And forgive us our sins” points us to the petition/penitence of prayer.
¨ Principle #6 – Prayer is A Needy Realization for the Protection of God
The phrase “and lead us not into temptation” points us to the protection of prayer.
Þ Now in v.5-13 – Jesus exhorts the Disciples to be persistent in prayer
The emphasis in these verses is on the attitude that we should have when it comes to prayer, namely boldness and confidence. Without boldness and confidence we could never persevere in our prayers.
In order to establish these two keys to persevering/persistent prayer Jesus does three things.
· He uses an Illustration – v.5-8
· He gives an exhortation – v.9-10
· He draws a conclusion – v.11-13
A. Jesus uses an illustration – v.5-8
Many features of this illustration reflect the culture of the time.
5 And He said to them, "Suppose one of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'
In the ancient world, food was not as readily available as it is today. Most food was prepared daily as preservatives were not widely available. So it would not be unusual for a man to find his cupboards bare as he went to sleep that night.
In addition, ancient culture put a high premium on hospitality. So if someone showed up in the middle of the night traveling on a journey the host would be expected to feed his newly arrived guest something. But what to do? The cupboards are bare, yet he wants to be a good host. He did what anyone would do in that situation, he went to his friend’s house and ask to borrow some bread!
There is however, one slight problem, it’s midnight and the man and his family are already in bed having retired for the evening.
7 and from inside he shall answer and say,' Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'
Most of the homes in ancient Palestine were one room dwellings where the entire family would sleep on mats in the middle of the floor. To answer the door would risk waking the entire family!
Obviously, the friend is not going to be inclined to respond to the man’s need, even though they are friends. However, if the man continues to knock and knock and knock and knock and knock he is going to eventually give him the loaves of bread just to get rid of him!
8 "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
The key word in this story is the word persistence (anaideian) which speaks of shameless determination and boldness.
As a side note we must be careful here because in order to understand the point of the story we need to make sure and focus on the right person in the story. The focus is not on the friend who is reluctant to get up and answer the door, but it is on the person who keeps on knocking and won’t go away! Jesus is not comparing the attitude of the reluctant friend to God’s attitude toward us when we pray! That’s not the point of the parable. Rather, Jesus is comparing the man knocking on the door and his shameless determination with how we should persevere when we pray.
The man in the story was not going to give up until he got what he needed! He was not going to take no for an answer. He was shamelessly determined and bold.
Shamelessness is not often considered a good quality, and in fact, much of what goes on in our country today is an example of shamelessness in a bad way. However, if our cause is good and right and we determinedly or doggedly persevere, then shameless insistence is good.
What was this man’s cause? Was it not treating his late arriving guest with hospitality? In that case, his shameless determination was honorable. Again, we must be careful not to prescribe any qualities from this illustration to God because as we will see, He is not reluctant to answer our prayers and to give us what we need.
Rather, He is our gracious Heavenly Father who is ready and willing to provide us daily bread, forgiveness of sin and protection from temptation. Our Father in heaven requires us to be persistent in our prayers not because He gives begrudgingly, but because of what persistent prayer does for us.
· Persistent prayer helps us to overcome our spiritual apathy
· Persistent prayer helps to intensify our relationship with the Father
· Persistent prayer helps us to grow in our intimacy with Him
· Persistent prayer helps us to see Him and to hallow Him for who He is (all that is
incorporated in His name)
· Persistent prayer helps us to focus on His kingdom and submit to His will, not our own
· Persistent prayer helps us to see His daily provision in our lives, it helps us to appreciate
His forgiveness and it helps us to rely on His protection.
G.B. Caird: “God does not need to be waked or cajoled into giving us what we need—many gifts He bestows on the ungodly and ungrateful; but His choicest blessings are reserved for those who will value them and who show their appreciation by asking until they receive.”
Persistent prayer is never about changing God’s mind but it is about changing our lives!
Warren Wiersbe: “Persistence in prayer is not an attempt to change God’s mind but to get ourselves to the place where He can trust us with the answer.”
So when it comes to prayer shameless determination, persistence, perseverance and boldness are to be desired and cultivated.
Jesus now moves from illustration to exhortation.
B. Jesus Gives an Exhortation – v.9-10
9 "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. NAS
The point of this exhortation is to reassure the disciples of Jesus (and us) that their (our) boldness will be rewarded, their (our) persistent prayers will be heard.
In this exhortation, three imperatives are given along with three promises.
Þ The Imperatives – ask, seek, knock
Two points need to be made about these imperatives.
q Point #1 – Each of the three imperatives is a synonym for persistent prayer.
In other words, persistent prayer is the same as asking, seeking and knocking. None of the English translations bring out the force of the original but they are present tense imperatives. As present tense imperatives the idea is that the disciples are to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.
q Point #2 – Each of the imperatives increase in their intensity.
Asking implies a request.
It is expressing a need for help in humility (the word is often used of one making a request of a superior).
Seeking implies asking but adds the idea of action.
It is not only expressing a need, but looking around for help. It involves the idea of effort.
Knocking implies asking and action with diligence.
Like the man in the story who kept on knocking until He got the bread.
Þ The Promises
· Ask….and it shall be given to you
· Seek….and you shall find
· Knock….and it shall be opened to you
The person who is persistent in their prayers will have their prayers answered. Notice the phrases….
q “it shall be given”
q “it shall be opened”
…they are what is referred to by scholars as divine passives. Divine passives point to God alone as the one who is performing the action, in this case, the giving and the opening. Even in the second promise we acknowledge that is God alone who enables us to find what we are seeking relative to our needs. There is great assurance here in these promises.
Some might say, that the “you” in verse 9 only applies to the twelve apostles, since that is who Jesus seems to be addressing. But there can be no doubt that in verse 10 the promise applies to all of us. “For everyone” – that includes you and me!
· If we persistently ask, we will receive
· If we persistently seek, we will find
· If we persistently knock, it will be opened to us
These promises make it clear that God is ready and willing to receive bold, shamelessly determined petitions from us!
He will not tire of us asking, seeking and knocking and in His perfect time He will give, help us find and open to us the blessings of His grace.
In order to move the disciples toward persistent prayer Jesus uses an illustration, he gives and exhortation and thirdly, He draws a conclusion.
C. Jesus Draws a Conclusion – v.11-13
11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" NAS
In case there was any doubt left, with these last three verses Jesus drives home the point that our Heavenly Father wants to answer our persistent prayers.
Because He is our Father, He knows us and loves us, He cares for us and desires to comfort us, therefore we never need to be afraid of the answers that He gives.
This conclusion is drawn from a lesser to the greater argument. The lesser is our earthly fathers who would never think of ……
· giving us a stone if we asked for bread, or……
· giving us a snake if we asked for a fish or…….
· giving us a scorpion if we asked for an egg……
…..they would give us what we asked for because to do otherwise would be cruel and abusive.
Therefore, if we as sinful earthly fathers (the lesser) know how to give good gifts to our children HOW MUCH MORE does our Heavenly Father (the Greater) know how to give the Holy Spirit to those of us who ask for it? The point is that our perfect heavenly father has never nor will ever give His children anything but the best!
Romans 8:31-32
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? NAS
By mentioning the Holy Spirit in our text Jesus may have been thinking ahead to that time when He would be leaving the Apostles to return to heaven. After He was gone they would need someone to guide them and teach them and comfort them in His absence. They would need the Holy Spirit, the perfect gift from God!
What confidence this inspires! We can persistently pray because God will hear and answer.
I want to close by sharing what I believe are two clear qualifications to the promises in this passage and then I want us to briefly look at an O.T. example of successful persistent prayer.
¨ Qualification #1 – We must ask for the right things.
These promises are not a blank check promises to ask for anything you want. I don’t care how many years you pray for that new Cadillac, God is not obligated to answer you simply because you are persistent!
Despite what you hear today on Christian T.V. and Radio, the focus of our prayers should never be our own selfish desires.
You cannot separate these promises of answered prayer from the context of the Lord’s Prayer/ Disciples Prayer.
What did Jesus tell the disciples to ask for? Daily provision, forgiveness of sin and protection from temptation/trials. We will receive those things, find those things and have the doors to those heavenly blessings opened to us when we pray persistently.
¨ Qualification #2 – We must be right in our walk with God.
Various passages in scripture make it clear that there are things in our lives that can hinder our prayers from being answered. For example:
Ø Unconfessed sin can hinder our prayers
Psalms 66:18
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
NAS
cf. Job 27:8-9; Mt. 5:29-30; I John 1:9
Ø Selfish motives can hinder our prayers
James 4:1-3
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NAS
cf. 1 John 5:14-15
Ø Problems at Home can hinder our prayers
1 Peter 3:7
7 You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
NAS
Ø Ignoring God’s Word can hinder our prayers
Proverbs 28:9
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
NAS
cf. John 15:7
Finally, let us look at how God responded to an O.T. saint who was persistent in his prayer.
Nehemiah 1
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire."
4 Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, "I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses. 8 Remember the word which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.' 10 "And they are Thy servants and Thy people whom Thou didst redeem by Thy great power and by Thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech Thee, may Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant and the prayer of Thy servants who delight to revere Thy name, and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man."
Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
NAS
Nehemiah asked about the condition of things in Jerusalem. He then wept over the answer he was given. Finally, he went to his knees and asked God to do something about it, specifically to change the heart of the king. He did this persistently and If you read chapter 2 you see that God answered his prayers.
PERSISTENCE = BOLDNESS AND CONFIDENCE
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.
NAS
Þ v.1 – We are reminded that Jesus exemplified the priority of prayer in His own life.
Several times in Luke’s Gospel we are reminded that this was an important part of Jesus’ life on earth. For example, we find him praying following His baptism (Luke 3:21), before selecting the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12), prior to asking the twelve for their confession of faith (Luke 9:18), and before His transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29).
Now here in Luke 11:1, we see Him taking time out of His busy day to pray. This was not unusual since Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus “…..Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”
On this day one of His disciples, no doubt having his spiritual appetite whetted by Jesus own prayer life, asked Him to teach them how to pray, “…..just as John also taught his disciples” It was not uncommon for teachers in that day to teach their disciples “how to pray” as a way of communicating, almost catechizing the disciples in their doctrines. Obviously, John the Baptist had done this very thing. This way of teaching is effective because our prayers inevitably reflect our theology. You can always tell what a person believes by listening to them pray.
Þ v.2-4 – Jesus establishes a pattern for prayer for His disciples.
I prefer to call this prayer the “Disciples Prayer” rather than the “Lord’s Prayer.” It is the Lord’s Prayer only in the sense that He taught it to His disciples, but not in the sense that He Himself ever prayed such a prayer. (For example Jesus could never pray “forgive us our sins”). The real Lord’s Prayer is found in John 17
This prayer is given to the Disciples to give them an example of how to pray. No where is there evidence that the disciples quoted this prayer word for word nor is there any command in scripture to recite this prayer by rote. In fact, just the opposite is true (cf. Mt.6:7).
In our previous studies we have noted that there are slight differences between Luke’s version and Matthew’s version which indicates to me that Jesus taught more than once on the subject of prayer. This prayer is to be a model prayer, where certain truths are taught and certain principles are established concerning prayer.
What are those principles?
¨ Principle #1 – Prayer is An Intimate Relationship with God The Father
The single word “Father” points to personal / intimate nature of prayer.
¨ Principle #2 – Prayer is A Reverent Response to the Character of God
The phrase “Hallowed be Thy name” points us to the praise of prayer.
¨ Principle #3 – Prayer is A Submissive Recognition of The Kingship of God
The phrase “Thy Kingdom come” points us to the priority of prayer.
¨ Principle #4 – Prayer is A Humble Reliance on the Provision of God
The phrase “Give us each day our daily bread” points us to the provision of prayer.
¨ Principle #5 – Prayer is A Penitent Request For the Forgiveness of God
The phrase “And forgive us our sins” points us to the petition/penitence of prayer.
¨ Principle #6 – Prayer is A Needy Realization for the Protection of God
The phrase “and lead us not into temptation” points us to the protection of prayer.
Þ Now in v.5-13 – Jesus exhorts the Disciples to be persistent in prayer
The emphasis in these verses is on the attitude that we should have when it comes to prayer, namely boldness and confidence. Without boldness and confidence we could never persevere in our prayers.
In order to establish these two keys to persevering/persistent prayer Jesus does three things.
· He uses an Illustration – v.5-8
· He gives an exhortation – v.9-10
· He draws a conclusion – v.11-13
A. Jesus uses an illustration – v.5-8
Many features of this illustration reflect the culture of the time.
5 And He said to them, "Suppose one of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'
In the ancient world, food was not as readily available as it is today. Most food was prepared daily as preservatives were not widely available. So it would not be unusual for a man to find his cupboards bare as he went to sleep that night.
In addition, ancient culture put a high premium on hospitality. So if someone showed up in the middle of the night traveling on a journey the host would be expected to feed his newly arrived guest something. But what to do? The cupboards are bare, yet he wants to be a good host. He did what anyone would do in that situation, he went to his friend’s house and ask to borrow some bread!
There is however, one slight problem, it’s midnight and the man and his family are already in bed having retired for the evening.
7 and from inside he shall answer and say,' Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'
Most of the homes in ancient Palestine were one room dwellings where the entire family would sleep on mats in the middle of the floor. To answer the door would risk waking the entire family!
Obviously, the friend is not going to be inclined to respond to the man’s need, even though they are friends. However, if the man continues to knock and knock and knock and knock and knock he is going to eventually give him the loaves of bread just to get rid of him!
8 "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
The key word in this story is the word persistence (anaideian) which speaks of shameless determination and boldness.
As a side note we must be careful here because in order to understand the point of the story we need to make sure and focus on the right person in the story. The focus is not on the friend who is reluctant to get up and answer the door, but it is on the person who keeps on knocking and won’t go away! Jesus is not comparing the attitude of the reluctant friend to God’s attitude toward us when we pray! That’s not the point of the parable. Rather, Jesus is comparing the man knocking on the door and his shameless determination with how we should persevere when we pray.
The man in the story was not going to give up until he got what he needed! He was not going to take no for an answer. He was shamelessly determined and bold.
Shamelessness is not often considered a good quality, and in fact, much of what goes on in our country today is an example of shamelessness in a bad way. However, if our cause is good and right and we determinedly or doggedly persevere, then shameless insistence is good.
What was this man’s cause? Was it not treating his late arriving guest with hospitality? In that case, his shameless determination was honorable. Again, we must be careful not to prescribe any qualities from this illustration to God because as we will see, He is not reluctant to answer our prayers and to give us what we need.
Rather, He is our gracious Heavenly Father who is ready and willing to provide us daily bread, forgiveness of sin and protection from temptation. Our Father in heaven requires us to be persistent in our prayers not because He gives begrudgingly, but because of what persistent prayer does for us.
· Persistent prayer helps us to overcome our spiritual apathy
· Persistent prayer helps to intensify our relationship with the Father
· Persistent prayer helps us to grow in our intimacy with Him
· Persistent prayer helps us to see Him and to hallow Him for who He is (all that is
incorporated in His name)
· Persistent prayer helps us to focus on His kingdom and submit to His will, not our own
· Persistent prayer helps us to see His daily provision in our lives, it helps us to appreciate
His forgiveness and it helps us to rely on His protection.
G.B. Caird: “God does not need to be waked or cajoled into giving us what we need—many gifts He bestows on the ungodly and ungrateful; but His choicest blessings are reserved for those who will value them and who show their appreciation by asking until they receive.”
Persistent prayer is never about changing God’s mind but it is about changing our lives!
Warren Wiersbe: “Persistence in prayer is not an attempt to change God’s mind but to get ourselves to the place where He can trust us with the answer.”
So when it comes to prayer shameless determination, persistence, perseverance and boldness are to be desired and cultivated.
Jesus now moves from illustration to exhortation.
B. Jesus Gives an Exhortation – v.9-10
9 "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. NAS
The point of this exhortation is to reassure the disciples of Jesus (and us) that their (our) boldness will be rewarded, their (our) persistent prayers will be heard.
In this exhortation, three imperatives are given along with three promises.
Þ The Imperatives – ask, seek, knock
Two points need to be made about these imperatives.
q Point #1 – Each of the three imperatives is a synonym for persistent prayer.
In other words, persistent prayer is the same as asking, seeking and knocking. None of the English translations bring out the force of the original but they are present tense imperatives. As present tense imperatives the idea is that the disciples are to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.
q Point #2 – Each of the imperatives increase in their intensity.
Asking implies a request.
It is expressing a need for help in humility (the word is often used of one making a request of a superior).
Seeking implies asking but adds the idea of action.
It is not only expressing a need, but looking around for help. It involves the idea of effort.
Knocking implies asking and action with diligence.
Like the man in the story who kept on knocking until He got the bread.
Þ The Promises
· Ask….and it shall be given to you
· Seek….and you shall find
· Knock….and it shall be opened to you
The person who is persistent in their prayers will have their prayers answered. Notice the phrases….
q “it shall be given”
q “it shall be opened”
…they are what is referred to by scholars as divine passives. Divine passives point to God alone as the one who is performing the action, in this case, the giving and the opening. Even in the second promise we acknowledge that is God alone who enables us to find what we are seeking relative to our needs. There is great assurance here in these promises.
Some might say, that the “you” in verse 9 only applies to the twelve apostles, since that is who Jesus seems to be addressing. But there can be no doubt that in verse 10 the promise applies to all of us. “For everyone” – that includes you and me!
· If we persistently ask, we will receive
· If we persistently seek, we will find
· If we persistently knock, it will be opened to us
These promises make it clear that God is ready and willing to receive bold, shamelessly determined petitions from us!
He will not tire of us asking, seeking and knocking and in His perfect time He will give, help us find and open to us the blessings of His grace.
In order to move the disciples toward persistent prayer Jesus uses an illustration, he gives and exhortation and thirdly, He draws a conclusion.
C. Jesus Draws a Conclusion – v.11-13
11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" NAS
In case there was any doubt left, with these last three verses Jesus drives home the point that our Heavenly Father wants to answer our persistent prayers.
Because He is our Father, He knows us and loves us, He cares for us and desires to comfort us, therefore we never need to be afraid of the answers that He gives.
This conclusion is drawn from a lesser to the greater argument. The lesser is our earthly fathers who would never think of ……
· giving us a stone if we asked for bread, or……
· giving us a snake if we asked for a fish or…….
· giving us a scorpion if we asked for an egg……
…..they would give us what we asked for because to do otherwise would be cruel and abusive.
Therefore, if we as sinful earthly fathers (the lesser) know how to give good gifts to our children HOW MUCH MORE does our Heavenly Father (the Greater) know how to give the Holy Spirit to those of us who ask for it? The point is that our perfect heavenly father has never nor will ever give His children anything but the best!
Romans 8:31-32
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? NAS
By mentioning the Holy Spirit in our text Jesus may have been thinking ahead to that time when He would be leaving the Apostles to return to heaven. After He was gone they would need someone to guide them and teach them and comfort them in His absence. They would need the Holy Spirit, the perfect gift from God!
What confidence this inspires! We can persistently pray because God will hear and answer.
I want to close by sharing what I believe are two clear qualifications to the promises in this passage and then I want us to briefly look at an O.T. example of successful persistent prayer.
¨ Qualification #1 – We must ask for the right things.
These promises are not a blank check promises to ask for anything you want. I don’t care how many years you pray for that new Cadillac, God is not obligated to answer you simply because you are persistent!
Despite what you hear today on Christian T.V. and Radio, the focus of our prayers should never be our own selfish desires.
You cannot separate these promises of answered prayer from the context of the Lord’s Prayer/ Disciples Prayer.
What did Jesus tell the disciples to ask for? Daily provision, forgiveness of sin and protection from temptation/trials. We will receive those things, find those things and have the doors to those heavenly blessings opened to us when we pray persistently.
¨ Qualification #2 – We must be right in our walk with God.
Various passages in scripture make it clear that there are things in our lives that can hinder our prayers from being answered. For example:
Ø Unconfessed sin can hinder our prayers
Psalms 66:18
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
NAS
cf. Job 27:8-9; Mt. 5:29-30; I John 1:9
Ø Selfish motives can hinder our prayers
James 4:1-3
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NAS
cf. 1 John 5:14-15
Ø Problems at Home can hinder our prayers
1 Peter 3:7
7 You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
NAS
Ø Ignoring God’s Word can hinder our prayers
Proverbs 28:9
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
NAS
cf. John 15:7
Finally, let us look at how God responded to an O.T. saint who was persistent in his prayer.
Nehemiah 1
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire."
4 Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, "I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses. 8 Remember the word which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.' 10 "And they are Thy servants and Thy people whom Thou didst redeem by Thy great power and by Thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech Thee, may Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant and the prayer of Thy servants who delight to revere Thy name, and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man."
Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
NAS
Nehemiah asked about the condition of things in Jerusalem. He then wept over the answer he was given. Finally, he went to his knees and asked God to do something about it, specifically to change the heart of the king. He did this persistently and If you read chapter 2 you see that God answered his prayers.
PERSISTENCE = BOLDNESS AND CONFIDENCE
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.
NAS
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The Pattern of Prayer - And Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Introduction: We are continuing our study of what has been called the “Lord’s Prayer,” although as we have already stated it might be more accurate to title it the “Disciples Prayer.” This is because it was given by Jesus to His disciples in order to teach them how to pray. As we move to our final segment in this prayer we will discover that prayer according to Jesus involves a realization of the need for God’s Protection.
I. An Intimate Relationship with the Father - “Father”
II. A Reverent Response to the Character of God - “Hallowed be Your name”
III. A Submissive Recognition of the Kingship of God - “Thy Kingdom Come”
IV. A Humble Reliance on the Provision of God - “Give us day by day our daily bread”
V. A Penitent Request for the Forgiveness of God - “And forgive us our sins”
VI. A Needy Realization for the Protection of God – "And lead us not into temptation
One of the interesting aspects of this model prayer is its focus throughout on God. It is a prayer that focuses on God and exalts Him.
It addresses His Fatherhood…His holiness…His sovereignty…His provision…His mercy and His protection!
This is important because as we think thoughts that are true about God, we will speak prayers that have His glory as their goal. All of our prayers should be under girded with a true and comprehensive concept of God. The better we understand God and His promises, the richer our prayers will become.
This last petition is especially filled with insight into God’s nature and His work in our lives. However, unless God’s nature and work in our lives is understood properly, this petition becomes difficult to comprehend and easy to misinterpret.
Jesus says to pray to the Father….. “And lead us not into temptation.”
At face value, this petition would seem to suggest that God is in the business of tempting us to sin. However, James 1:13 says,
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
What then does Jesus mean when He tells the disciples to pray, “and lead us not into temptation?”
First, if we are going to understand this petition we must clearly understand that nothing happens in this world except by God’s sovereign will and determination. If this were not true then it would be foolish to pray this petition. If God is not a deciding factor in all that happens, then He is not truly sovereign and our prayers are nothing more than hit or miss propositions.
Scripture makes it clear that God is sovereign over all of His creatures and all events. Consider the following passages…..
Daniel 4:34-35
“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘what hast thou done?’”
Psalm 135:6
“Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all the deeps.”
Ephesians 1:11
“…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” cf. Isaiah 14:24-27; 45:3-7
Since we believe that God is truly sovereign then we must also acknowledge that whatever temptation comes our way has to come by God’s permission.
Second – if we are going to understand this petition then we need to define the word “temptation.” Temptation (peirasmos) is a neutral word that can mean either trial (as in testing or proving) or it can mean temptation (as in an enticement to sin). The context determines the way in which the word is translated.
For example in James 1:2-14 peirasmos is used both ways. In verse 2 it is translated as testing or trials (cf. the context of v. 2-11). In verses 13-14 peirasmos is used several times and in each case is translated as temptation as the context calls for. However, it is used in verse 12 and is translated as temptation but the context could call for either meaning.
Many times in scripture the word has both ideas in mind as seems to be the case in James 1:12. This is because a trial can easily turn into a temptation to doubt God, disobey His word and neglect His grace.
John MacArthur writes:
“Anytime there is a legitimate trial or test there are two possible outcomes – to pass or fail; to succeed or to not succeed. So when God brings a test, there is always a possibility that it can be turned into a temptation.” (The Disciples’ Prayer Study Notes, pp. 98-99)
Let me give you some biblical examples:
The Example of Joseph – Genesis 37-50
Speaking of the great trial he endured, Joseph said to his brothers, in Genesis 50:20,
20 "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
Imagine what would have happened if Joseph would not have endured this trial and instead succumbed to the temptation doubt and disobey God. By the way, Joseph could have fallen at several points along the way, yet he endured.
The Example of Job – Job 1:7-22; 2:1-10
This story is important because it gives us insight into the great battle that goes on behind the scenes whenever we experience some great peirasmos – trial in our life. Here we learn that God seeks to use every trial to test us and prove us, while Satan seeks to use our trials as temptations for evil.
Note also that this trial was clearly initiated by God (v.7-12).
The Lord meant this as test, a trial for good. It was meant to strengthen Job’s faith and to glorify God. The devil meant it for evil.
He intended for Job to sin and dishonor God.
“In every trial we face we have the potential to honor or dishonor God. Each trial has the potential to increase our faith, our peace and improve our witness or do just the opposite.”
By the way, Job passed the test (v.1:22).
In Job 2:1-10 God allows Satan to crank up the intensity of a second trial…this time involving personal disease (note that God was the initiator once again). Again, Job passed the initial test (v.2:10).
Consider for a moment Job’s wife. Was this not a trial for her as well?
Did she not experience everything that Job experienced except his disease? She lost her children, her wealth, her material possessions and her husband’s health. Through this experience she too could have strengthened her faith and glorified God, yet she failed to pass her test (v.2:9).
This trial for her turned into a temptation to sin! She did what Satan tried to get Job to do, she became embittered toward God. In her mind God had treated them unfairly, unjustly, and with extreme harshness. In becoming angry with God she refused to bow to His wisdom and providence for her life. In her unbelief she became a temptress to evil, a tool in the hands of Satan, like Eve in the Garden of Eden enticing her husband to join her in sin.
Yet Job remained strong.
What was it that Job knew that kept him from sinning? Job knew God as he really is. He had a proper understanding of the nature of God and how He works in our lives. He knew that God is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth and that He does as He pleases. He knew that God could give and take away according to His will and purpose (v.2:10).
However, Job also knew that all things work together for the good to those who love God and are the called according to His purposes.
Job 23:10
10 "But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
And he was right! Consider the end of the story (Job 42:10-17) where the Lord doubled his blessing!
The Example of Jesus – Matthew 4:1-11
Note who the initiator is in this story.
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The Spirit of God led Christ off to be tempted or tested (peirasmos).
This was to be a test or trial from God’s perspective, but it would be a temptation from the devil’s perspective.
There are some great lessons here about how Satan attacks us and how we can resist him.
Notice that Satan waits for the most opportune time to attack.
2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
It’s not at the start of our trials that Satan comes after us, but usually it is in the midst of them, after we have suffered for awhile and are in a weakened state.
Also note that Satan didn’t quit after the first attempt. He tried three times (v.3, 5-6, 8-9). If Satan is anything he is consistent! His approach is nearly always the same. We see this when we compare the way he tempted Jesus with the way he tempted Eve.
In verse 3 he approached Jesus with the lust of the flesh.
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
In verses 5-6 he approached Jesus with the pride of life.
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written,
'He will give His angels charge concerning You';
and
'On their hands they will bear You up,
Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'"
In verse 7-8 he approached him with the lust of the eyes.
7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory;
In Genesis 3:4-6 we see Satan’s approach with Eve.
4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food” (lust of the flesh)
“and that it was a delight to the eyes” (lust of the eyes)
“and that the tree was desirable to make one wise” (pride of life)
The Apostle John acknowledged this point when he said,
15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17
The will of God is the key in not allowing your trials to turn into temptations, and the will of God is found in the word of God. Jesus understood this for after each temptation He responded with “as it is written.” He appealed to the will of God!
Every trial, every test, every temptation comes down to this, who will win out? The Lord who means it for good or the devil who means it for evil?
By the way, Satan didn’t give up on Jesus either (cf. Peter’s words to Jesus at Caesaria and Jesus’ struggle at Gethsemane).
In the case of Joseph, Job, and Jesus, God won out, their peirasmos turned out for their good and God’s glory.
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Matthew 4:11
You see my friends there is always a way of escape. In every test, in every temptation there is an opportunity to be victorious.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
Here is the key to understanding this last petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
When we pray “and lead us not into temptation” we are asking God to make the way of escape clear to us. What is the normal way of escape?
James 4:7
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
We must be very clear, the way of escape is never out of the trial but through it (that you may be able to bear (endure) it). How do we bear/endure it? How do we make it through the trial? By submitting to God and resisting the devil!
This petition then is an acknowledgment that God is sovereign over all situations and events that come our way. It is a request that He will in the midst of our trials help us to see the way of escape so that our time of testing will not turn into enticement to sin. The way of escape comes by submitting to His will and protection and by simultaneously resisting the devil.
There is one more thing we need to see if we are going to understand this petition. If we are going to understand this petition then we need to see its intercessory nature (and do lead US not into temptation).
Remember we emphasized earlier in this series that we are not an only child in the family of God. We are not to pray for our own protection only without praying for the protection of our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. Why?
No temptation (peirasmos) has overtaken you but such as is common to man
Do you struggle with sin in your life? Well, so do I!
Do you struggle to be a better husband, father, neighbor and Christian? Me too!
Do you daily experience the battle that wages between the flesh and the spirit? Join the club!
Do you experience various trials and tribulations in your life? Guess what, we all do!
The tests, the trials, the struggles and the hardships that you are experiencing are COMMON to man! My friends, we are not in this alone. We are the Body of Christ where each part depends on the other to contribute that which we have been designed to contribute (1 Corinthians 12:18-27).
We cannot be unconcerned for each other. I live for you and you live for me, and without each other we are not complete or healthy. When we pray we must say, Father…give US day by day OUR daily bread….forgive US OUR sins, for WE also forgive everyone who is indebted to US……do not lead US into temptation.
Did Peter pray so that he could endure his upcoming trial / temptation (Luke 22:21-40)? No, he slept. What might have happened if Jesus was not praying for him? What is the difference between Judas and Peter, betrayal and denial? Could it be the intercessory prayer of Jesus?
Are you experiencing a great trial? Pray that the Lord would reveal to you the way of escape. Submit yourself to Him and resist the devil. Let others know what you are going through so they can pray for you!
And pray for us.
I. An Intimate Relationship with the Father - “Father”
II. A Reverent Response to the Character of God - “Hallowed be Your name”
III. A Submissive Recognition of the Kingship of God - “Thy Kingdom Come”
IV. A Humble Reliance on the Provision of God - “Give us day by day our daily bread”
V. A Penitent Request for the Forgiveness of God - “And forgive us our sins”
VI. A Needy Realization for the Protection of God – "And lead us not into temptation
One of the interesting aspects of this model prayer is its focus throughout on God. It is a prayer that focuses on God and exalts Him.
It addresses His Fatherhood…His holiness…His sovereignty…His provision…His mercy and His protection!
This is important because as we think thoughts that are true about God, we will speak prayers that have His glory as their goal. All of our prayers should be under girded with a true and comprehensive concept of God. The better we understand God and His promises, the richer our prayers will become.
This last petition is especially filled with insight into God’s nature and His work in our lives. However, unless God’s nature and work in our lives is understood properly, this petition becomes difficult to comprehend and easy to misinterpret.
Jesus says to pray to the Father….. “And lead us not into temptation.”
At face value, this petition would seem to suggest that God is in the business of tempting us to sin. However, James 1:13 says,
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
What then does Jesus mean when He tells the disciples to pray, “and lead us not into temptation?”
First, if we are going to understand this petition we must clearly understand that nothing happens in this world except by God’s sovereign will and determination. If this were not true then it would be foolish to pray this petition. If God is not a deciding factor in all that happens, then He is not truly sovereign and our prayers are nothing more than hit or miss propositions.
Scripture makes it clear that God is sovereign over all of His creatures and all events. Consider the following passages…..
Daniel 4:34-35
“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘what hast thou done?’”
Psalm 135:6
“Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all the deeps.”
Ephesians 1:11
“…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” cf. Isaiah 14:24-27; 45:3-7
Since we believe that God is truly sovereign then we must also acknowledge that whatever temptation comes our way has to come by God’s permission.
Second – if we are going to understand this petition then we need to define the word “temptation.” Temptation (peirasmos) is a neutral word that can mean either trial (as in testing or proving) or it can mean temptation (as in an enticement to sin). The context determines the way in which the word is translated.
For example in James 1:2-14 peirasmos is used both ways. In verse 2 it is translated as testing or trials (cf. the context of v. 2-11). In verses 13-14 peirasmos is used several times and in each case is translated as temptation as the context calls for. However, it is used in verse 12 and is translated as temptation but the context could call for either meaning.
Many times in scripture the word has both ideas in mind as seems to be the case in James 1:12. This is because a trial can easily turn into a temptation to doubt God, disobey His word and neglect His grace.
John MacArthur writes:
“Anytime there is a legitimate trial or test there are two possible outcomes – to pass or fail; to succeed or to not succeed. So when God brings a test, there is always a possibility that it can be turned into a temptation.” (The Disciples’ Prayer Study Notes, pp. 98-99)
Let me give you some biblical examples:
The Example of Joseph – Genesis 37-50
Speaking of the great trial he endured, Joseph said to his brothers, in Genesis 50:20,
20 "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
Imagine what would have happened if Joseph would not have endured this trial and instead succumbed to the temptation doubt and disobey God. By the way, Joseph could have fallen at several points along the way, yet he endured.
The Example of Job – Job 1:7-22; 2:1-10
This story is important because it gives us insight into the great battle that goes on behind the scenes whenever we experience some great peirasmos – trial in our life. Here we learn that God seeks to use every trial to test us and prove us, while Satan seeks to use our trials as temptations for evil.
Note also that this trial was clearly initiated by God (v.7-12).
The Lord meant this as test, a trial for good. It was meant to strengthen Job’s faith and to glorify God. The devil meant it for evil.
He intended for Job to sin and dishonor God.
“In every trial we face we have the potential to honor or dishonor God. Each trial has the potential to increase our faith, our peace and improve our witness or do just the opposite.”
By the way, Job passed the test (v.1:22).
In Job 2:1-10 God allows Satan to crank up the intensity of a second trial…this time involving personal disease (note that God was the initiator once again). Again, Job passed the initial test (v.2:10).
Consider for a moment Job’s wife. Was this not a trial for her as well?
Did she not experience everything that Job experienced except his disease? She lost her children, her wealth, her material possessions and her husband’s health. Through this experience she too could have strengthened her faith and glorified God, yet she failed to pass her test (v.2:9).
This trial for her turned into a temptation to sin! She did what Satan tried to get Job to do, she became embittered toward God. In her mind God had treated them unfairly, unjustly, and with extreme harshness. In becoming angry with God she refused to bow to His wisdom and providence for her life. In her unbelief she became a temptress to evil, a tool in the hands of Satan, like Eve in the Garden of Eden enticing her husband to join her in sin.
Yet Job remained strong.
What was it that Job knew that kept him from sinning? Job knew God as he really is. He had a proper understanding of the nature of God and how He works in our lives. He knew that God is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth and that He does as He pleases. He knew that God could give and take away according to His will and purpose (v.2:10).
However, Job also knew that all things work together for the good to those who love God and are the called according to His purposes.
Job 23:10
10 "But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
And he was right! Consider the end of the story (Job 42:10-17) where the Lord doubled his blessing!
The Example of Jesus – Matthew 4:1-11
Note who the initiator is in this story.
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The Spirit of God led Christ off to be tempted or tested (peirasmos).
This was to be a test or trial from God’s perspective, but it would be a temptation from the devil’s perspective.
There are some great lessons here about how Satan attacks us and how we can resist him.
Notice that Satan waits for the most opportune time to attack.
2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
It’s not at the start of our trials that Satan comes after us, but usually it is in the midst of them, after we have suffered for awhile and are in a weakened state.
Also note that Satan didn’t quit after the first attempt. He tried three times (v.3, 5-6, 8-9). If Satan is anything he is consistent! His approach is nearly always the same. We see this when we compare the way he tempted Jesus with the way he tempted Eve.
In verse 3 he approached Jesus with the lust of the flesh.
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
In verses 5-6 he approached Jesus with the pride of life.
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written,
'He will give His angels charge concerning You';
and
'On their hands they will bear You up,
Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'"
In verse 7-8 he approached him with the lust of the eyes.
7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory;
In Genesis 3:4-6 we see Satan’s approach with Eve.
4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food” (lust of the flesh)
“and that it was a delight to the eyes” (lust of the eyes)
“and that the tree was desirable to make one wise” (pride of life)
The Apostle John acknowledged this point when he said,
15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17
The will of God is the key in not allowing your trials to turn into temptations, and the will of God is found in the word of God. Jesus understood this for after each temptation He responded with “as it is written.” He appealed to the will of God!
Every trial, every test, every temptation comes down to this, who will win out? The Lord who means it for good or the devil who means it for evil?
By the way, Satan didn’t give up on Jesus either (cf. Peter’s words to Jesus at Caesaria and Jesus’ struggle at Gethsemane).
In the case of Joseph, Job, and Jesus, God won out, their peirasmos turned out for their good and God’s glory.
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Matthew 4:11
You see my friends there is always a way of escape. In every test, in every temptation there is an opportunity to be victorious.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
Here is the key to understanding this last petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
When we pray “and lead us not into temptation” we are asking God to make the way of escape clear to us. What is the normal way of escape?
James 4:7
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
We must be very clear, the way of escape is never out of the trial but through it (that you may be able to bear (endure) it). How do we bear/endure it? How do we make it through the trial? By submitting to God and resisting the devil!
This petition then is an acknowledgment that God is sovereign over all situations and events that come our way. It is a request that He will in the midst of our trials help us to see the way of escape so that our time of testing will not turn into enticement to sin. The way of escape comes by submitting to His will and protection and by simultaneously resisting the devil.
There is one more thing we need to see if we are going to understand this petition. If we are going to understand this petition then we need to see its intercessory nature (and do lead US not into temptation).
Remember we emphasized earlier in this series that we are not an only child in the family of God. We are not to pray for our own protection only without praying for the protection of our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. Why?
No temptation (peirasmos) has overtaken you but such as is common to man
Do you struggle with sin in your life? Well, so do I!
Do you struggle to be a better husband, father, neighbor and Christian? Me too!
Do you daily experience the battle that wages between the flesh and the spirit? Join the club!
Do you experience various trials and tribulations in your life? Guess what, we all do!
The tests, the trials, the struggles and the hardships that you are experiencing are COMMON to man! My friends, we are not in this alone. We are the Body of Christ where each part depends on the other to contribute that which we have been designed to contribute (1 Corinthians 12:18-27).
We cannot be unconcerned for each other. I live for you and you live for me, and without each other we are not complete or healthy. When we pray we must say, Father…give US day by day OUR daily bread….forgive US OUR sins, for WE also forgive everyone who is indebted to US……do not lead US into temptation.
Did Peter pray so that he could endure his upcoming trial / temptation (Luke 22:21-40)? No, he slept. What might have happened if Jesus was not praying for him? What is the difference between Judas and Peter, betrayal and denial? Could it be the intercessory prayer of Jesus?
Are you experiencing a great trial? Pray that the Lord would reveal to you the way of escape. Submit yourself to Him and resist the devil. Let others know what you are going through so they can pray for you!
And pray for us.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
The Pattern of Prayer - And Forgive Us Our Sins
NOTE: This is part five in our series from Luke 11:1-4
Intro: We are continuing our study of what has often been called “The Lord’s Prayer” although, as we have already stated it might be more accurate to title it “The Disciples Prayer.” This is because the prayer was given by Jesus to His disciples in order to teach them how to pray.
It was common for first century religious leaders to teach certain prayers to their disciples to give them a means of remembering and reflecting the doctrine of the teacher. This is the context in which Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples.
Luke 11:1
1 And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."
This prayer was given to the disciples as a pattern or example of how to pray so that when they did, they could reflect the teaching of Jesus. There is no evidence that Jesus Himself ever prayed such a prayer (cf. “Forgive us our sins”). The real Lord’s Prayer is found in John 17.
Nevertheless, for those who have become His disciples we have been given a pattern to follow when we pray. This pattern prayer is way for us to reflect the teaching of Jesus in our own prayer life.
I would also add that while it is not wrong to recite this prayer verbatim in our worship and devotions, just as it would not be wrong for us to use any portion of God’s Word in those activities; there is no evidence that Jesus ever intended for it to be used only in that way.
In fact, in the parallel passage in Matthew 6, just prior to giving His version of this prayer there, Jesus warns about using vain repetitions in our prayers (Matthew 6:7). As John Bunyan has said: “When you pray, rather let your heart be without words, than your words be without heart.”
The point is this; we don’t want to treat this prayer as a formula prayer rather we want to see it as a pattern prayer. Because it is a pattern prayer we are to seek to understand the truths and principles that Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples about prayer, and what great principles we find there!
Each phrase of this great prayer is full of meat and meaning, each phrase is full of New Testament truth, and each phrase it meant to teach us something about how we are to view the privilege of prayer.
Previously we learned that prayer according to Jesus is .........
I. An Intimate Relationship with the Father - “Father”
II. A Reverent Response to the Character of God - “Hallowed be Your name”
III. A Submissive Recognition of the Kingship of God -
“Thy Kingdom Come”
IV. A Humble Reliance on the Provision of God -
“Give us day by day our daily bread”
This time we will discover that prayer is…….
V. A Penitent Request for the Forgiveness of God -
“And Forgive us our sins”
There are four things I want you to see about this penitent request........the Petitioners, the Problem, the Plea, and the Priority.
A. The Petitioners - “And forgive us our sins”
The first thing that we need to establish here is that this petition is given to His disciples, men, who while they didn’t understand everything about Jesus, were nonetheless believers. Previously, they had acknowledged and confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Luke 9:18-20; Matthew 16:16-20).
I emphasize that because there are those today who would deny that the disciples were Christians at this point. They do this because their particular theology teaches that we as believers do not need to ask for forgiveness. We have already been forgiven so it is redundant to ask! However, in order for them to teach this theology, they have to relegate the Disciples Prayer to an Old Testament dispensation.
Therefore they say that this petition in the Disciples Prayer is not valid for US as believers today.
We have already established that there are two kinds of people in the world...Children of God and Children of the Devil.
1 John 3:10
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Everyone who is born into this world is born into it as a child of the devil.
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ we are able to enter into the family of God.
Ephesians 2:4-9
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
John 1:12
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Now, it is clear that Jesus considered the disciples as children of God or else He would not have told them to address God as Father.
(Remember how unique this concept was, the Jews were not generally taught to address God as Father in a personal intimate way). That Jesus had us in mind as well can be surmised from His words in John 17:20-26 (His High Priestly prayer). There Jesus prayed not only for His current disciples, “but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”
We can be very certain then that this pattern prayer was given first of all to His disciples and then to all other disciples to come. What do we have in common? We are able to address God as Father.
Romans 8:15-16
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
If they (the disciples) as believers had to ask for forgiveness then we must conclude that we as believers must ask for forgiveness as well.
In addition, we are given clear confirmation of the fact that Christians must ask for forgiveness, subsequent to salvation in
1 John 1:8-2:2
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Who is John writing to? “My little Children” - v.2:1
This letter was written to Christians to teach them not to sin, but when they did sin, to confess it and seek forgiveness! So the petitioners are all of God’s disciples because all of us will from time to time need to pray “And forgive us our sins”
B. The Problem - “And forgive us our sins”
We have already established that the problem that all of us face as Christians is sin but what kind of sin do we struggle with? And what are its consequences now that I have been saved? Before we answer those questions however, we need to discuss the problem of sin in general! There are several Greek words for sin used in the New Testament, for example (John MacArthur, The Disciples’ Prayer Study Notes, pp.72-72),
¨ Harmartia (to miss the mark) – This is the most common word for sin used in the New Testament.
It is an archers word that was used to describe how an archer’s arrow would miss the mark by falling short of its target (Romans 3:23). What target do we miss? God’s standard of perfection (Matthew 5:48)!
¨ Parabasis (to step across the line) – This word is often translated as transgressions (2 John 9).
It reminds us that God has drawn a line for us between right and wrong, and yet we continue to step across that line.
¨ Anomia (a = not or no and nomia = law) – This word speaks of lawlessness
It is used to describe a flagrant disregarding of God’s law. It has in it the idea of open rebellion (1 John 3:4).
¨ Paraptoma (to slip or fall) – The word is sometimes translated as trespasses (Matthew 6:14).
It emphasizes the passion of the moment, the momentary loss of self-control, being swept away by sin.
¨ Opheilema (debt) - It speaks of what is owed, an obligation, it points to a failure to pay what is due (Matthew 6:12).
In other words, when we sin we owe God a consequence for our sin.
Our sin racks up a very large debt to God that is one day due and payable!
These five words describe the totality of man’s problem.
· We all miss the mark of God’s perfection....
· We all step across the line between right and wrong....
· We all at times flagrantly disregard God’s law....
· We all slip and fall by getting caught up in the passion of the moment…
· We all have a huge debt to God that we could never repay!
What we need more than anything else is forgiveness!
That’s what Salvation is all about.....The work of Christ on our behalf!
Romans 3:20-26
20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The moment you repent of your sin, place your faith in Christ and invite Him into Your life, your sin is placed on Him and His righteousness is put on you and God declares you to be justified. As a result you experience redemption and forgiveness.
This aspect of forgiveness is sometimes referred to as Judicial or Forensic forgiveness! It speaks of full, complete, positional forgiveness granted to us by the Sovereign, moral Judge of the universe at salvation! It is what every man, woman and child needs if they want to experience eternal life! And it is based on the work of Christ (Hebrews 10:10-17)!
· Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God now sees the perfection of Jesus Christ in us instead of our own self-righteous efforts that fall short and miss the mark!
· Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God now sees Christ’s righteousness in us instead of our own transgressions, trespasses and acts of lawlessness!
· Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God now sees the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a sufficient price to pay the debt for our sin!
Amazingly, because His work is finished God will never change what He sees when He looks at those who have been saved by Jesus Christ! Romans 8:28-39 describes our position after we have been saved! Now you say, “That is great Pastor Jim, but if I have been redeemed completely and forgiven comprehensively why do I need to continue to ask for forgiveness?”
C. The Plea - “And forgive us our sins”
The forgiveness that Jesus is talking about here is not a judicial - positional forgiveness that comes at salvation but rather a practical - parental forgiveness that comes after salvation. Once we have been saved and become His children we no longer deal with God as the righteous Judge, rather we now deal with Him as our loving Father.
Our relationship with Him has been changed dramatically! So too, has the effects of our sin.
No longer does our sin bring with it the eternal consequences of guilt and debt and damnation, rather now our sin brings with it the loss of peace and joy and intimacy with God. This is illustrated for us in Psalm 51. Because David had sinned and not confessed it he had lost the sense of peace and joy in his life that comes when one is experiencing an intimate relationship with God.
What David needed to do and did do, was confess his sin and seek the mercy and forgiveness of God! What he was missing in his life was not salvation, but the joy of his salvation! Judicial forgiveness takes care of the fact of salvation and parental forgiveness takes care of the joy of salvation!
Remember the passage we looked at earlier in 1 John 1 and 2?
John says to his readers at the beginning of his letter, “These things I write unto you that your joy may be full!” John wanted them to learn how to deal with their sin so that they could experience the full joy of being in fellowship with God.
Now, in both in Psalm 51 and in 1 John 1:9, the key to receiving parental forgiveness and being restored to joy involved confession of sin. The word confess (homologeo) means to say the same thing. It speaks of agreeing with God about our sin, acknowledging that it was wrong, and admitting that we are guilty as charged. It also has in it the idea of repentance and forsaking!
What kind of sins are we as believers still guilty of? Sometimes we still miss the mark and fall short of God’s Word. Sometimes we step across the line between right and wrong. Sometimes we flagrantly disregard His law of love. Sometimes we stumble and slip in a moment of passion and lose our self control. Sometimes our actions bring about serious consequences to our lives and others (as David’s did to his newborn son, his kingdom and Uriah the Hittite)!
Our sins now have to do with our stumbling and failures as we work out our salvation day to day (Philippians 2:12). Just as we are to ask God to give us daily bread because each day requires new nourishment. So too we are to ask God for daily forgiveness because each day we fail to live in perfect obedience to His word.
Here is a great truth my friends.....Our Heavenly Father never wearies in forgiving us!
Nehemiah 9:17
17 "And they refused to listen,
And did not remember Thy wondrous deeds which Thou hadst performed among them;
So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But Thou art a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness;
And Thou didst not forsake them.
Micah 7:18
18 Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love.
Romans 5:20
20 And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
Romans 6:1
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
D. The Priority - “For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us”
The point here is that a heart that asks for forgiveness from God must be a heart that has and continues to forgive others.
The word indebted (opheilema) speaks of a debt or obligation. Remember, there are consequences to sin and sometimes we experience the consequences from the sins of others. But just as God has forgiven our spiritual debts so too we ought to forgive the spiritual debts of others. The phrase is in the present tense i.e. keep on forgiving.......
Robert Louis Stevenson in his book “Picturesque Notes of Edinburgh” tells the story of two unmarried sisters who shared a single room.
As is often the case with siblings who live in close quarters they had a falling out, which Stevenson says was on “some point of controversial divinity.” In other words they had a disagreement over some aspect of theology. The controversy was so bitter that they never spoke to one another again. No words either kind or spiteful, just silence!
For whatever reasons, possibly financial, they continued to live together in that single room dwelling. They simply drew a chalk line across the floor to separate their two domains. Even going so far as to divide the door way and fire place so that each of them could go in and out or do her cooking without stepping into the territory of the other! For years they co-existed in this hateful silence, every night going to bed listening to the heavy breathing of her enemy!
These two sisters, however theologically astute they were, never experienced the daily forgiveness of God, because they themselves were not willing to forgive!
Matthew’s version of this prayer is even more startling for it say’s “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
Oswald Sanders said that Jesus here is “stating a principle in God’s dealings with His children. He deals with us as we deal with others. He measures us by the yardstick we use on others.”
Luke 6:38
38 "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."
2 Corinthians 9:6
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.
God deals with us the way that we deal with Him and He will deal with us the way we deal with others! In case you think the previous verses are only dealing with giving. Listen to the following.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Matthew 5:7
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
James 2:13
13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' 27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' 29 "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' 30 "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. 33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' 34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
Thomas Watson said:
“A man can as well go to Hell for not forgiving as for not believing”.
Charles Spurgeon put it this way:
“Unless you have forgiven others, you read your own death-warrant when you repeat the Lord’s Prayer”
Lord Herbert adds:
“He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass”.
A forgiving spirit is a sign of a true believer. An unforgiving spirit is a sign of an unbeliever!
Our call this morning is to seek God’s forgiveness in prayer, but before we can do that we need to forgive others first! One of the reasons that we need to seek God’s forgiveness by confessing our sins is so that we will be constantly reminded of God’s mercy. In the midst of that reminder we will be more prone to forgive others.
Thomas Manton wrote,
“There is none so tender to others as they which have received mercy themselves; for they know how gently God hath dealt with them”
Matthew 5:21-24
21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
Ephesians 4:29-5:2
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Colossians 3:12-17
12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
* “And forgive us our sins, Lord, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us”
Intro: We are continuing our study of what has often been called “The Lord’s Prayer” although, as we have already stated it might be more accurate to title it “The Disciples Prayer.” This is because the prayer was given by Jesus to His disciples in order to teach them how to pray.
It was common for first century religious leaders to teach certain prayers to their disciples to give them a means of remembering and reflecting the doctrine of the teacher. This is the context in which Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples.
Luke 11:1
1 And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."
This prayer was given to the disciples as a pattern or example of how to pray so that when they did, they could reflect the teaching of Jesus. There is no evidence that Jesus Himself ever prayed such a prayer (cf. “Forgive us our sins”). The real Lord’s Prayer is found in John 17.
Nevertheless, for those who have become His disciples we have been given a pattern to follow when we pray. This pattern prayer is way for us to reflect the teaching of Jesus in our own prayer life.
I would also add that while it is not wrong to recite this prayer verbatim in our worship and devotions, just as it would not be wrong for us to use any portion of God’s Word in those activities; there is no evidence that Jesus ever intended for it to be used only in that way.
In fact, in the parallel passage in Matthew 6, just prior to giving His version of this prayer there, Jesus warns about using vain repetitions in our prayers (Matthew 6:7). As John Bunyan has said: “When you pray, rather let your heart be without words, than your words be without heart.”
The point is this; we don’t want to treat this prayer as a formula prayer rather we want to see it as a pattern prayer. Because it is a pattern prayer we are to seek to understand the truths and principles that Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples about prayer, and what great principles we find there!
Each phrase of this great prayer is full of meat and meaning, each phrase is full of New Testament truth, and each phrase it meant to teach us something about how we are to view the privilege of prayer.
Previously we learned that prayer according to Jesus is .........
I. An Intimate Relationship with the Father - “Father”
II. A Reverent Response to the Character of God - “Hallowed be Your name”
III. A Submissive Recognition of the Kingship of God -
“Thy Kingdom Come”
IV. A Humble Reliance on the Provision of God -
“Give us day by day our daily bread”
This time we will discover that prayer is…….
V. A Penitent Request for the Forgiveness of God -
“And Forgive us our sins”
There are four things I want you to see about this penitent request........the Petitioners, the Problem, the Plea, and the Priority.
A. The Petitioners - “And forgive us our sins”
The first thing that we need to establish here is that this petition is given to His disciples, men, who while they didn’t understand everything about Jesus, were nonetheless believers. Previously, they had acknowledged and confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Luke 9:18-20; Matthew 16:16-20).
I emphasize that because there are those today who would deny that the disciples were Christians at this point. They do this because their particular theology teaches that we as believers do not need to ask for forgiveness. We have already been forgiven so it is redundant to ask! However, in order for them to teach this theology, they have to relegate the Disciples Prayer to an Old Testament dispensation.
Therefore they say that this petition in the Disciples Prayer is not valid for US as believers today.
We have already established that there are two kinds of people in the world...Children of God and Children of the Devil.
1 John 3:10
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Everyone who is born into this world is born into it as a child of the devil.
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ we are able to enter into the family of God.
Ephesians 2:4-9
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
John 1:12
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Now, it is clear that Jesus considered the disciples as children of God or else He would not have told them to address God as Father.
(Remember how unique this concept was, the Jews were not generally taught to address God as Father in a personal intimate way). That Jesus had us in mind as well can be surmised from His words in John 17:20-26 (His High Priestly prayer). There Jesus prayed not only for His current disciples, “but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”
We can be very certain then that this pattern prayer was given first of all to His disciples and then to all other disciples to come. What do we have in common? We are able to address God as Father.
Romans 8:15-16
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
If they (the disciples) as believers had to ask for forgiveness then we must conclude that we as believers must ask for forgiveness as well.
In addition, we are given clear confirmation of the fact that Christians must ask for forgiveness, subsequent to salvation in
1 John 1:8-2:2
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Who is John writing to? “My little Children” - v.2:1
This letter was written to Christians to teach them not to sin, but when they did sin, to confess it and seek forgiveness! So the petitioners are all of God’s disciples because all of us will from time to time need to pray “And forgive us our sins”
B. The Problem - “And forgive us our sins”
We have already established that the problem that all of us face as Christians is sin but what kind of sin do we struggle with? And what are its consequences now that I have been saved? Before we answer those questions however, we need to discuss the problem of sin in general! There are several Greek words for sin used in the New Testament, for example (John MacArthur, The Disciples’ Prayer Study Notes, pp.72-72),
¨ Harmartia (to miss the mark) – This is the most common word for sin used in the New Testament.
It is an archers word that was used to describe how an archer’s arrow would miss the mark by falling short of its target (Romans 3:23). What target do we miss? God’s standard of perfection (Matthew 5:48)!
¨ Parabasis (to step across the line) – This word is often translated as transgressions (2 John 9).
It reminds us that God has drawn a line for us between right and wrong, and yet we continue to step across that line.
¨ Anomia (a = not or no and nomia = law) – This word speaks of lawlessness
It is used to describe a flagrant disregarding of God’s law. It has in it the idea of open rebellion (1 John 3:4).
¨ Paraptoma (to slip or fall) – The word is sometimes translated as trespasses (Matthew 6:14).
It emphasizes the passion of the moment, the momentary loss of self-control, being swept away by sin.
¨ Opheilema (debt) - It speaks of what is owed, an obligation, it points to a failure to pay what is due (Matthew 6:12).
In other words, when we sin we owe God a consequence for our sin.
Our sin racks up a very large debt to God that is one day due and payable!
These five words describe the totality of man’s problem.
· We all miss the mark of God’s perfection....
· We all step across the line between right and wrong....
· We all at times flagrantly disregard God’s law....
· We all slip and fall by getting caught up in the passion of the moment…
· We all have a huge debt to God that we could never repay!
What we need more than anything else is forgiveness!
That’s what Salvation is all about.....The work of Christ on our behalf!
Romans 3:20-26
20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The moment you repent of your sin, place your faith in Christ and invite Him into Your life, your sin is placed on Him and His righteousness is put on you and God declares you to be justified. As a result you experience redemption and forgiveness.
This aspect of forgiveness is sometimes referred to as Judicial or Forensic forgiveness! It speaks of full, complete, positional forgiveness granted to us by the Sovereign, moral Judge of the universe at salvation! It is what every man, woman and child needs if they want to experience eternal life! And it is based on the work of Christ (Hebrews 10:10-17)!
· Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God now sees the perfection of Jesus Christ in us instead of our own self-righteous efforts that fall short and miss the mark!
· Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God now sees Christ’s righteousness in us instead of our own transgressions, trespasses and acts of lawlessness!
· Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God now sees the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a sufficient price to pay the debt for our sin!
Amazingly, because His work is finished God will never change what He sees when He looks at those who have been saved by Jesus Christ! Romans 8:28-39 describes our position after we have been saved! Now you say, “That is great Pastor Jim, but if I have been redeemed completely and forgiven comprehensively why do I need to continue to ask for forgiveness?”
C. The Plea - “And forgive us our sins”
The forgiveness that Jesus is talking about here is not a judicial - positional forgiveness that comes at salvation but rather a practical - parental forgiveness that comes after salvation. Once we have been saved and become His children we no longer deal with God as the righteous Judge, rather we now deal with Him as our loving Father.
Our relationship with Him has been changed dramatically! So too, has the effects of our sin.
No longer does our sin bring with it the eternal consequences of guilt and debt and damnation, rather now our sin brings with it the loss of peace and joy and intimacy with God. This is illustrated for us in Psalm 51. Because David had sinned and not confessed it he had lost the sense of peace and joy in his life that comes when one is experiencing an intimate relationship with God.
What David needed to do and did do, was confess his sin and seek the mercy and forgiveness of God! What he was missing in his life was not salvation, but the joy of his salvation! Judicial forgiveness takes care of the fact of salvation and parental forgiveness takes care of the joy of salvation!
Remember the passage we looked at earlier in 1 John 1 and 2?
John says to his readers at the beginning of his letter, “These things I write unto you that your joy may be full!” John wanted them to learn how to deal with their sin so that they could experience the full joy of being in fellowship with God.
Now, in both in Psalm 51 and in 1 John 1:9, the key to receiving parental forgiveness and being restored to joy involved confession of sin. The word confess (homologeo) means to say the same thing. It speaks of agreeing with God about our sin, acknowledging that it was wrong, and admitting that we are guilty as charged. It also has in it the idea of repentance and forsaking!
What kind of sins are we as believers still guilty of? Sometimes we still miss the mark and fall short of God’s Word. Sometimes we step across the line between right and wrong. Sometimes we flagrantly disregard His law of love. Sometimes we stumble and slip in a moment of passion and lose our self control. Sometimes our actions bring about serious consequences to our lives and others (as David’s did to his newborn son, his kingdom and Uriah the Hittite)!
Our sins now have to do with our stumbling and failures as we work out our salvation day to day (Philippians 2:12). Just as we are to ask God to give us daily bread because each day requires new nourishment. So too we are to ask God for daily forgiveness because each day we fail to live in perfect obedience to His word.
Here is a great truth my friends.....Our Heavenly Father never wearies in forgiving us!
Nehemiah 9:17
17 "And they refused to listen,
And did not remember Thy wondrous deeds which Thou hadst performed among them;
So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But Thou art a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness;
And Thou didst not forsake them.
Micah 7:18
18 Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love.
Romans 5:20
20 And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
Romans 6:1
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
D. The Priority - “For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us”
The point here is that a heart that asks for forgiveness from God must be a heart that has and continues to forgive others.
The word indebted (opheilema) speaks of a debt or obligation. Remember, there are consequences to sin and sometimes we experience the consequences from the sins of others. But just as God has forgiven our spiritual debts so too we ought to forgive the spiritual debts of others. The phrase is in the present tense i.e. keep on forgiving.......
Robert Louis Stevenson in his book “Picturesque Notes of Edinburgh” tells the story of two unmarried sisters who shared a single room.
As is often the case with siblings who live in close quarters they had a falling out, which Stevenson says was on “some point of controversial divinity.” In other words they had a disagreement over some aspect of theology. The controversy was so bitter that they never spoke to one another again. No words either kind or spiteful, just silence!
For whatever reasons, possibly financial, they continued to live together in that single room dwelling. They simply drew a chalk line across the floor to separate their two domains. Even going so far as to divide the door way and fire place so that each of them could go in and out or do her cooking without stepping into the territory of the other! For years they co-existed in this hateful silence, every night going to bed listening to the heavy breathing of her enemy!
These two sisters, however theologically astute they were, never experienced the daily forgiveness of God, because they themselves were not willing to forgive!
Matthew’s version of this prayer is even more startling for it say’s “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
Oswald Sanders said that Jesus here is “stating a principle in God’s dealings with His children. He deals with us as we deal with others. He measures us by the yardstick we use on others.”
Luke 6:38
38 "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."
2 Corinthians 9:6
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.
God deals with us the way that we deal with Him and He will deal with us the way we deal with others! In case you think the previous verses are only dealing with giving. Listen to the following.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Matthew 5:7
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
James 2:13
13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' 27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' 29 "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' 30 "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. 33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' 34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
Thomas Watson said:
“A man can as well go to Hell for not forgiving as for not believing”.
Charles Spurgeon put it this way:
“Unless you have forgiven others, you read your own death-warrant when you repeat the Lord’s Prayer”
Lord Herbert adds:
“He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass”.
A forgiving spirit is a sign of a true believer. An unforgiving spirit is a sign of an unbeliever!
Our call this morning is to seek God’s forgiveness in prayer, but before we can do that we need to forgive others first! One of the reasons that we need to seek God’s forgiveness by confessing our sins is so that we will be constantly reminded of God’s mercy. In the midst of that reminder we will be more prone to forgive others.
Thomas Manton wrote,
“There is none so tender to others as they which have received mercy themselves; for they know how gently God hath dealt with them”
Matthew 5:21-24
21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
Ephesians 4:29-5:2
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Colossians 3:12-17
12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
* “And forgive us our sins, Lord, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us”
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