The Lord's Prayer

[JesusisGod2]

Hey Sister,

Very nicely done! I have some things I would like to add on the Kingdom but time is short tonight.

Sorry I havent been responding to this beautiful thread you started, and this is very deep and not much one can add to your wonderful post as is.

But I have a few thoughts I would like to kick around a little and get your feed back.

Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the wonderful truths that you have revealed to us through your word. Thy Word is truth and will be revealed as treasure, to those seek truth with their whole heart .

Open our eyes and our hearts, and conform us into the image of Your Son so that we may praise you with holy hands and voices, filled with awe in our hearts . In Jesus Name

[Adstar]

THY KINGDOM COME

I look upon these words as an affirmation of fact rather than A hope for the future. The Messiah Jesus kingdom started around 2000 years ago and has been building since. It is a kingdom of souls that will one day have a physical form. The Messiah's Kingdom is. It is now. It is still in the process of increasing its borders or numbers of the faithful body.

Likewise the next part:

THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

To me it says His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. To me it is not a plea that one day His will ,will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I believe nothing that happens on earth happens without Him allowing it to happen as part of His master plan for creation. As i was thinking of this a verse popped into my head:

Revelation 22

11He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still."

All Praise The Ancient Of Days

[OneAccord]

THY KINGDOM COME

I look upon these words as an affirmation of fact rather than A hope for the future. The Messiah Jesus kingdom started around 2000 years ago and has been building since. It is a kingdom of souls that will one day have a physical form. The Messiah's Kingdom is. It is now. It is still in the process of increasing its borders or numbers of the faithful body.

Great addition, Adam!

When I looked up the word "Kingdom" in Webster's, the defintion was threefold:

A reign

The region that is being reigned

The subjects of the reign

In other words, the kingdom is Jesus' reign, which has been going on for 2000 years as He reigns in the hearts of the many who recieve Him

The region that is being reigned: Anywhere that Jesus reigns is the region, which for now is in the heart. The kingdom of God is within us, in our hearts.

The subjects of the reign: that's us! In this sense we are indeed the kingdom of God.

So, Adam, as you say the kingdom is already here, but oh, there's much more to come, and we cry out for that which is to come when we say "Thy kingdom come!"

[JesusisGod2]

Hi Brothers and Sisters,

Again I am pressed for time but would like to lay this down for your thoughts 1n Luke 17:20-21

The Pharasees were asking Jesus when this kingdom was to be and Jesus said to them dont look here and there for it is right here in your midst

I believe what He was saying is when we find the King, we find the Kingdom. We see today that people that dont believe in Jesus, cannot enter into Gods Kingdom but those that do can.

Such as fellowship, praise, church attendance, prayer, partake of the Holy Spirit etc.. but when you enter into Gods Kingdom you can and do.

the Kingdom is not so far away, it is here right now, thy Kingdom come.

The spiritual Kingdom is here and we can only enter in through the gate, the gate being the Lord Jesus our King, The physical Kingdom is yet to come, but the spiritual is within us.

In Matt 18:20 where two or three are gathered, Christ, our King, is in our midst. See Luke 24:36 and John 20:26.

As I have said I am pressed for time today but will try to post later. This is something to meditate on though and study.

The Kingdom of God is in our midst. Luke 17:21

Thanks again One Accord for starting this study!

[OneAccord]

THY WILL BE DONE

Here again we have a major Biblical theme, as with every part of the Lord's Prayer: God's will.

Webster's:

WILL: the faculty or power of conscious and deliberate action; choice, wish, desire, process, determination

DONE: executed, finished, completed, settled

"Thy will be done"

At first, I have to wonder why would there be a need to pray this when we know for certain that God's will will be done, His will is going to prevail over all the opposition. Jesus said on the cross "It is finished" and yet we are instructed to pray "Thy will be done".

All that is happening is the will of God, even though it is difficult if not impossible for us to fathom. God's plan and purpose for His universe marches on and we either get with the program (yield to His will) or we are in rebellion.

There is obviously much opposition and resistance to God's will in the world today, this is the very nature of rebellion, the very nature of Satan and the fallen angels and the fall of mankind and sin.

As Christians, we are asked to seek God's will and to yield ourselves to it. When we confess "Jesus is Lord" we are giving our rights and authority over to Him whom it belongs to in the first place. As we learn to walk in His Spirit, we become more and more conscious of His will and submissive to it. Yet our carnal, fleshly, natural man continues to oppose it and we become more fully aware of the constant conflict between our will and God's will. Even Jesus as the Son of Man experienced this in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He was feeling tempted to avoid the bitter cup being given to Him by the Father until He surrendered His will: "Not my will, but Thine."

When we pray "Thy will be done" we are praying "Help us to yield ourselves fully to Your will, that nothing we do would hinder the kingdom or prolong Your long-suffering. Help us to have victory over our self-seeking flesh nature."

We must ask Him to show us, "What am I doing that stands in the way of God's will? How are we opposing His will both individually and collectively as a church?" Pray that His will be done, not ours.

Yielding to His will can mean enduring persecution, suffering even as Christ suffered. Paul was zealous that God's will be done, yet it was not a pretty picture for Him, the stonings, the lashes, the shipwrecks, the prison time, even his final execution. Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine.

"Thy will be done" is trusting in God's plan, that it is righteous, just, holy, right on time and for our ultimate good. What comfort to think we don't need to figure it all out, we just need to trust in Him, put Him in charge, and yield ourselves fully to our unfolding destiny as God's children, though the sea be calm or stormy. We can rest in this prayer, "Thy will be done".

So "Thy will be done" is both a call to yield ourselves to His perfect will and to trust in Him to accomplish His will in spite of all outward appearance.

Thy will be done, Lord.

Our Father

Who art in heaven

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done.........

These words magnify themselves infinitely when we look into them. Help us to see You when we speak these words, Lord sitting on Your throne at the very heart of the kingdom, as Your glorious plan for all of creation unfolds. Help us to respond to these words and the action that they call us to as Your precious children, help us to magnify these words in our lives as we live them for You.

[OneAccord]

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

This is an interesting segment of the prayer. I find this one difficult to interpret at the same time that it seems so obvious.

We generally interpret this to mean that we want to see the beauty, glory, and holiness that we imagine heaven to be like manifested here on this cursed, sin-infested earth.

When His kingdom is fully manifested and His ultimate will is completed (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done) this earth will be transformed to the New Earth, where the desert will bloom, the dry rivers will run, the lion will lie down with the Lamb. Heaven on earth will be a return to the Garden of Eden, every man under his own fig tree.

Imagining "on earth as it is in heaven" is part of our faith walk, our longing, our blessed hope. We can endure the tempest and the storm, the trials and tribulations because we hold in our hearts these visions and promises of the New Heaven and the New Earth. We know all this around us is temporal, passing, a vapor.

There are so many beautiful word pictures of this future fulfillment as we search the scriptures, they tug at our hearts as we read them...so we cry out "Let it be on earth as it is in heaven!"

And yet I think there are deeper Biblical truths hidden in this scripture as well. We have seen throughout this study of the Lord's Prayer so far that each portion of this prayer has been double-sided. In one sense it is an affirmation of our faith or an acknowledgement of God, His sovereignity & holiness, His plan and purpose. In another sense it is a call to action for every Christian--to cry out to God (Our Father), to walk in holiness (Hallowed be Thy name), to build the kingdom (Thy kingdom come), to align ourelves with His will (Thy will be done).......

.........On earth as it is heaven. This also is a challenge to us as Christians and as a unified church to be the vehicles by which God's heaven becomes manifested here on earth, from glory to glory, shining ever brighter unto the perfect day.

This is our call to witness.

[OneAccord]

I want to go into the call to witness a little deeper, but first I think it necessary to look at the word HEAVEN again.

It seems there are facets to the word heaven as it is used in the Bible. It is our eternal home and destination, it is where God resides, the abode of His throne, a place of perfection, completion. I believe this heaven, as in Our Father, Who art in heaven, is the highest heaven.

There is also a heaven, or sometimes it is called the heavenlies, that is the abode of angels, principalities, rulers of darkness, and a host of supernatural beings. This heaven and the earth appear to be intricately entwined together, somehow mirroring each other.

On earth as it is in heaven.......As above, so below.

The actions and events that take place in the heavenlies have corresponding actions and events here on earth, and vice versa.

God's program of reconciliation includes not just the earth but heaven as well. Not only are we promised a New Earth, but a New Heaven. Eph 1:10...that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times (climax of the ages) He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on the earth--in Him.

Eph 3:15 says "from Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." We are part of a larger family that includes heavenly beings as well as earthly. And Eph 3:10 tells us that the church is witnessing to beings in the heavenlies as well as here on earth!!! ....to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.......

When Jesus gave the great commission, He instructed the disciples to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Some translations say "all creation". We, the church, are witnessing not only to unbelieving men, and to principalities in the heavenlies but to every creature/all creation as well!! Wow!!

Romans 8:19 tells us that the creation is eagerly waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. This revealing of the sons of God is a progressive revelation throughout the church age as the torch is passed from Christian to the next.

Not only does our witness on earth affect heaven, but our actions apparently have far-reaching effects as well. When Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kigdom, He told him that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matt 18:18) John 20:23 tells us that "if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

As above, so below.

Can you see the implication of this? As the body of Christ, an extension of Christ Himself, our work here and our witness here reaches far beyond what is visible to us.

How do we manifest the promise of heaven that we keep by faith here on earth? How do we manifest the love, the forgiveness, the reconciliation, the gift of grace here on earth so that we will be a light to all men, a city on a hill, a living temple here on earth?

What an exciting challenge!!! Help us, dear Lord, to manifest here on earth the beauty and glory that is of the highest heaven.

[OneAccord]

We have just concluded the first section of the Lord's Prayer. This prayer is constructed into two main parts and then a final summary verse. "On earth as it is in heaven" acts as a bridge between the two main sections. It marks the ending of the first but also is a lead-in to the next.

The first part of the prayer which we have been studying is like a grand overview of God and His plan and purpose. Its beauty is in its precision. It is brief, concise, yet encompassing macrocosmic themes. It embraces the entire universe, the Source of it, and you and me. We have seen how each segment of the prayer magnifies into major Biblical themes when you begin to meditate on each one.

Each verse is an affirmation and acknowledgement of God and His divine plan, and at the same time each verse demands a response from us--a call to holiness, yieldedness, action. It is almost like a pledge of allegiance. (If you notice, the United States pledge of allegiance has the same cadence and rhythm as this part of the Lord's prayer, interesting). When we speak this we are pledging our allegiance to God as citizens of His heavenly kingdom.

We have looked within these decisive words into the vastness of the mystery--the very throne of God, the coming kingdom, the mind of God (His will). We can even see the beginning and the end--in the word Father we find the origin, the genesis, and when His will is done all will be brought to completion.

And now we cross the bridge into part two by the words "On earth as it is in heaven". This verse brings the prayer right down to earth, right now, today. Suddenly we find ourselves in supplication for our most basic needs, for right relations with our fellow man, for victory over sin, and for our very salvation.

The first part of the prayer gave us a blueprint for the master plan, and now the next part gives us a blueprint for our lives.

OUR FATHER

WHO ART IN HEAVEN

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

THY KINGDOM COME

THY WILL BE DONE

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN :a2:

[OneAccord]

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

Ezek 3:3 And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

I'd like to begin the study of this verse by looking at each word individually.

GIVE

The dictionary had a long listing of shades of meaning for the word, so I'll just select out some that seem relevant to the context of this verse.

--to present physically within another's grasp (God physically gives us our daily bread, we recieve it into our grasp)

--to present as a gift (our daily bread is indeed a precious gift)

--to sacrifice (the Bread of Life sacrificed/gave Himself so that we could partake of Him)

--to provide (Jehovah Jireh--God provides, our provision comes from God)

--to yield or produce (the earth, by the power of God, yields the grain that becomes our bread)

I like to think about this word "give" reminding us that all that we recieve is a gift, given out of love for us, not compulsion.

US

We must remember throughout this prayer that this is a corporate prayer--we are praying for the entire body of Christ, the living church, all of our brothers and sisters. (I use this prayer for personal needs also, but I do try to remember the whole of the church as I believe was part of His intent in giving this prayer to us.) The Lord's Prayer is for every believer, bar none.

THIS DAY

This means right now, today, "while it is still called today"(Heb 3:13), present moment.

This word reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

OUR

This word speaks of possession--the gift of daily bread is ours. It does not say the daily bread, or Your daily bread, but ours. We are to lay hold of it, recieve it as ours in the spirit of recieving a precious gift.

DAILY

This means every single day, this means a continuous provision. Daily, not once in a while. We are in need of this provision every day, all of our days. There is a sense of commitment in this word, both in God's willingness to provide daily, not just sometimes, and also in our responsibility to seek out and desire the bread each day. It also implies our utter dependency on God for His provision not just when we feel needy, but every single day. Whether the cupboard is bare or overflowing, our daily portion comes from Him.

BREAD

The word 'bread' in the Bible is rich, rich, rich in meaning and also in spiritual or metaphorical interpretation. This is, of course, the key word in this verse and just explodes with meaning.

Traditionally there are four levels of interpretation given to this word in the context of this verse:

1: Material provision

This is food, sustanence, the material essentials of life.

This is the staple of life that comes to all people from God's providence.

God demonstrates this willingness to provide this bread many times over in the Bible. We see it in the miracle of the manna, the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and even in the sending out of the apostles, when they were instructed to take no bread or provision (Mark 6:8).

Our response to this should be overwhelming gratitude and thankfulness, as well as recognition of our Divine Provider.

A beautiful Jewish prayer or table blessing says:

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruits of the earth"

In this sprit we should recieve the gift of the daily bread.

2: Spiritual provision

This is the miraculous sustenance of life for God's chosen people.

This is the food for the spirit, which we nourish ourselves with in the form of the word of God. Again we see beautiful and thrilling metaphors throughout the Bible of God's bread for our spirits, our inner man.

I think all of us upon being saved experienced that intense hunger for the word of God, that feeling of just devouring it ravenously, that spiritual milk that fed us as babes in Christ, nourished us and matured us.

The manna is the most prominent type and shadow of this spiritual food, this daily bread. Exodus 16 gives us the story of the manna, the bread from heaven.

We are to seek out this spiritual bread daily, each man according to his need (Ex 16:16-18) It's interesting to notice that when someone gathered more than his need, greedily, that it became wormy and moldy. I think this tells us if we spend too much time in His word, and don't walk it out, apply it to our lives, share it with others, that we are wasting it and it profits nothing.

Give us our daily portion, no more,no less, each according to our need.

3: the Bread of the Eucharist

Jesus Christ told us straight out that He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48). The bread of God is He who came down fro heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:33) I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.(John 6:51)

Our communion table is a remembrance and memorial of this bread that was His body, broken for us. All who partake of it will continue to recieve of it daily unto everlasting life. Every day won't end when you die, daily is forever. This day is right now.

Give us this day our daily bread. Give us Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

4: Prophetic

There is a prophetic interpretation that speaks of the future table of the Lord, participation in the coming banquet. Luke 14:15 Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God! Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies (Ps 23:5)

We all long for that day, when we are in heaven eating the daily bread with the Bread of Life Himself! Give us that bread this day, right now, even so come Lord Jesus!

The table of the shewbread in the tabernacle was also prophetic and speaks of the daily bread.

SO, GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD!!!! \o/

[OneAccord]

FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES

These four simple words cut to the very heart of God's dealing with us. They speak volumes and are loaded with foundational truths of the faith. They are the core of Christ's mission here on earth. They are the story of the Cross in a nutshell.

Forgive us our trespasses.

This is the basis of all Twelve Steps in God's Sinners Anonymous program.

"We have admitted that we are powerless over our sins.......

http://www.aa-louisiana.org/steps.htm

To be able to speak these words to God through Jesus in spirit and in truth, we must lay aside our ego and our pride and humble ourselves in the sight of the living God. We must come before Him with a broken and a contrite heart.

Forgive us our trespasses.

In activating these words we find confession, and if we speak them in all sincerity, repentance. We have to confess that we have sinned and truly experience the godly sorrow that leads to repentance. This is the moment of truth in our salvation story.

And God is faithful to forgive.

It is interesting to notice that when the Bible speaks of God's forgiveness, it often pictures other facets of His love for us, such as mercy, grace, steadfast love, longsuffering. The forgiveness that He extends is part and parcel of a manifold, many-sided, gift of perfect love.

In fact, a stock formula that appears verbatim several times in the Bible is that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love". We also see over and over again that "His mercy endures forever".

When we pray to God, "Forgive us our trespasses", it would be for our certain good to meditate on these words that reveal God's loving heart, and to realize fully the magnitude of this gift of forgiveness that we are asking of Him.

The imagery used in the Bible to characterize God's forgiveness is lavish. His forgiveness is described as 'abounding' and never half-hearted. He does not simply remove sin, He removes it as far as the east is from the west. In the prodigal son story, He doesn't 'just' forgive His son, He runs to embrace him and throws an elaborate celebration.

God is poised always to extend His gracious forgiveness to us. He is simply waiting for us to turn to Him. He doesn't want us hiding behind a fig leaf, He's offering us a better, more complete, and perfect covering, the blood of Jesus, poured out for the many.