Appreciating the Lord’s Prayer
Section One
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Our Father in heaven”
What conceptions do you have of your Heavenly Father? They will determine the nature of your prayers. Unfortunately sin has damaged our earthly fathers and some to the extent that our picture of our Heavenly Father is severely damaged. His love is not perceived. This is one of many situations that has darkened our perception of the character of our Heavenly Father.
“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God...He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him…” Desire of Ages p. 22
Below are some Bible promises and inspiring quotations to help us appreciate the intent of Jesus in teaching us to pray to “Our Father”. [All verses are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.]
“So ready, so eager, is the Saviour's heart to welcome us as members of the family of God, that in the very first words we are to use in approaching God He places the assurance of our divine relationship, ‘Our Father.’...The perception of God's love works the renunciation of selfishness. In calling God our Father, we recognize all His children as our brethren. We are all a part of the great web of humanity, all members of one family. In our petitions we are to include our neighbors as well as ourselves. No one prays aright who seeks a blessing for himself alone...The infinite God, said Jesus, makes it your privilege to approach Him by the name of Father. Understand all that this implies. No earthly parent ever pleaded so earnestly with an erring child as He who made you pleads with the transgressor. No human, loving interest ever followed the impenitent with such tender invitations. God dwells in every abode; He hears every word that is spoken, listens to every prayer that is offered, tastes the sorrows and disappointments of every soul, regards the treatment that is given to father, mother, sister, friend, and neighbor. He cares for our necessities, and His love and mercy and grace are continually flowing to satisfy our need.”--Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 103-105
Matthew 5:45 ...your Father in heaven... He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 6:6-8 ...pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:26, 30-32 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 18:14 "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
Mark 14:36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.
Luke 6:36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Luke 12:32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
John 1:18 (NIV) No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 14:9 He who has seen Me [Jesus] has seen the Father.
John 3:16 "For God [our Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:13, 14 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 16:26 "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; "for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 20:17 ...'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"
Romans 8:32 He [our Father] who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:38, 39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God [our Father] which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 1:17 (NCV) Every good action and every perfect gift is from God [our Father]. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.
Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, [your Father] I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Our Father in heaven”
What conceptions do you have of your Heavenly Father? They will determine the nature of your prayers. Unfortunately sin has damaged our earthly fathers and some to the extent that our picture of our Heavenly Father is severely damaged. His love is not perceived. This is one of many situations that has darkened our perception of the character of our Heavenly Father.
“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God...He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him…” Desire of Ages p. 22
Below are some Bible promises and inspiring quotations to help us appreciate the intent of Jesus in teaching us to pray to “Our Father”. [All verses are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.]
“So ready, so eager, is the Saviour's heart to welcome us as members of the family of God, that in the very first words we are to use in approaching God He places the assurance of our divine relationship, ‘Our Father.’...The perception of God's love works the renunciation of selfishness. In calling God our Father, we recognize all His children as our brethren. We are all a part of the great web of humanity, all members of one family. In our petitions we are to include our neighbors as well as ourselves. No one prays aright who seeks a blessing for himself alone...The infinite God, said Jesus, makes it your privilege to approach Him by the name of Father. Understand all that this implies. No earthly parent ever pleaded so earnestly with an erring child as He who made you pleads with the transgressor. No human, loving interest ever followed the impenitent with such tender invitations. God dwells in every abode; He hears every word that is spoken, listens to every prayer that is offered, tastes the sorrows and disappointments of every soul, regards the treatment that is given to father, mother, sister, friend, and neighbor. He cares for our necessities, and His love and mercy and grace are continually flowing to satisfy our need.”--Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 103-105
Matthew 5:45 ...your Father in heaven... He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 6:6-8 ...pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:26, 30-32 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 18:14 "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
Mark 14:36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.
Luke 6:36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Luke 12:32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
John 1:18 (NIV) No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 14:9 He who has seen Me [Jesus] has seen the Father.
John 3:16 "For God [our Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:13, 14 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 16:26 "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; "for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 20:17 ...'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"
Romans 8:32 He [our Father] who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:38, 39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God [our Father] which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 1:17 (NCV) Every good action and every perfect gift is from God [our Father]. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.
Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, [your Father] I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Section Two
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Hallowed be Your name”
“We may, like the Jews in Christ's day, manifest the greatest outward reverence for God, and yet profane His name continually. "The name of the Lord" is "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:5-7. Of the church of Christ it is written, "This is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness." Jeremiah 33:16. This name is put upon every follower of Christ. It is the heritage of the child of God. The family are called after the Father. The prophet Jeremiah, in the time of Israel's sore distress and tribulation, prayed, "We are called by Thy name; leave us not." Jeremiah 14:9.
This name is hallowed [revered] by the angels of heaven, by the inhabitants of unfallen worlds. When you pray, "Hallowed be Thy name," you ask that it may be hallowed in this world, hallowed in you. God has acknowledged you before men and angels as His child; pray that you may do no dishonor to the "worthy name by which ye are called." James 2:7. God sends you into the world as His representative. In every act of life you are to make manifest the name of God. This petition calls upon you to possess His character. You cannot hallow His name, you cannot represent Him to the world, unless in life and character you represent the very life and character of God. This you can do only through the acceptance of the grace and righteousness of Christ.” --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 106, 107.
In the Bible a person’s name often represented certain characteristics about the person. For example, Abram means “High Father” but in order to make clear to Abram that He would be the father of a great nation the Lord gave him a new name: Abraham meaning “father of a great multitude.” Keep this in mind when you study the names of God in the Bible. Names often indicate character. There are fourteen different names of our God in Hebrew. The translation of the Hebrew name in each verse will be in heavy type:
Yhwh-Shammah: Ezekiel 48:35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.
El-Shaddai: Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
Yhwh-Raah: Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Yhwh-Yireh: Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, the-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided."
Yhwh-Tsidkenu: Jeremiah 23:6 Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Yhwh-Nissi: Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner. [“The Lord Gives Me Victory.” (CEV)]
El Elyon: Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. [God Most High. (ERV)].
El Roi: Genesis 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees.
El Olam: Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
Yhwh-Shalom: Judges 6:24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is -Peace.
Yhwh-El Gmolah: Jeremiah 51:56 (NCV) ... the Lord is a God who punishes people for the evil they do. He gives them the full punishment they deserve.
Yhwh-Maccadeshcem: Exodus 31:13 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. [LORD, who makes you holy. (NIV)].
Yhwh-Nakeh: Ezekiel 7:9 I will repay you according to your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the LORD who strikes [evil].
Yhwh Sabbaoth: 1 Samuel 1:3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. [the Lord of heavenly forces (CEB)]
When God appeared to Moses at Mount Sinai, Scripture says, “Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.” Exodus 34:5. When the name of the LORD [YHWH or Jehovah] is proclaimed descriptions follow to show God’s character:
“And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ‘keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6, 7. [cf Exodus 20:5, 6 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.]
When we pray “Hallowed be Your name” we are requesting that God’s character be recognized and honored. We are requesting that He be revealed as He truly is and not as He is naturally perceived in a world darkened by sin. The better we know His character the more likely God will be able to spread the light about Him if we are willing. The more we study the beauty of His character the more we will become like Him. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
Biblical prayer helps us see His beauty and become willing to spread the truth about Him.
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Hallowed be Your name”
“We may, like the Jews in Christ's day, manifest the greatest outward reverence for God, and yet profane His name continually. "The name of the Lord" is "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:5-7. Of the church of Christ it is written, "This is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness." Jeremiah 33:16. This name is put upon every follower of Christ. It is the heritage of the child of God. The family are called after the Father. The prophet Jeremiah, in the time of Israel's sore distress and tribulation, prayed, "We are called by Thy name; leave us not." Jeremiah 14:9.
This name is hallowed [revered] by the angels of heaven, by the inhabitants of unfallen worlds. When you pray, "Hallowed be Thy name," you ask that it may be hallowed in this world, hallowed in you. God has acknowledged you before men and angels as His child; pray that you may do no dishonor to the "worthy name by which ye are called." James 2:7. God sends you into the world as His representative. In every act of life you are to make manifest the name of God. This petition calls upon you to possess His character. You cannot hallow His name, you cannot represent Him to the world, unless in life and character you represent the very life and character of God. This you can do only through the acceptance of the grace and righteousness of Christ.” --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 106, 107.
In the Bible a person’s name often represented certain characteristics about the person. For example, Abram means “High Father” but in order to make clear to Abram that He would be the father of a great nation the Lord gave him a new name: Abraham meaning “father of a great multitude.” Keep this in mind when you study the names of God in the Bible. Names often indicate character. There are fourteen different names of our God in Hebrew. The translation of the Hebrew name in each verse will be in heavy type:
Yhwh-Shammah: Ezekiel 48:35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.
El-Shaddai: Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
Yhwh-Raah: Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Yhwh-Yireh: Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, the-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided."
Yhwh-Tsidkenu: Jeremiah 23:6 Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Yhwh-Nissi: Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner. [“The Lord Gives Me Victory.” (CEV)]
El Elyon: Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. [God Most High. (ERV)].
El Roi: Genesis 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees.
El Olam: Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
Yhwh-Shalom: Judges 6:24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is -Peace.
Yhwh-El Gmolah: Jeremiah 51:56 (NCV) ... the Lord is a God who punishes people for the evil they do. He gives them the full punishment they deserve.
Yhwh-Maccadeshcem: Exodus 31:13 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. [LORD, who makes you holy. (NIV)].
Yhwh-Nakeh: Ezekiel 7:9 I will repay you according to your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the LORD who strikes [evil].
Yhwh Sabbaoth: 1 Samuel 1:3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. [the Lord of heavenly forces (CEB)]
When God appeared to Moses at Mount Sinai, Scripture says, “Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.” Exodus 34:5. When the name of the LORD [YHWH or Jehovah] is proclaimed descriptions follow to show God’s character:
“And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ‘keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6, 7. [cf Exodus 20:5, 6 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.]
When we pray “Hallowed be Your name” we are requesting that God’s character be recognized and honored. We are requesting that He be revealed as He truly is and not as He is naturally perceived in a world darkened by sin. The better we know His character the more likely God will be able to spread the light about Him if we are willing. The more we study the beauty of His character the more we will become like Him. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
Biblical prayer helps us see His beauty and become willing to spread the truth about Him.
Section 3
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Your Kingdom Come”
“The kingdom of God” in the Bible is spoken of in two different ways. One kingdom is visible and tangible. The other kingdom is invisible and spiritual but just as real as the visible kingdom. The visible kingdom which is yet future is the kingdom of glory at Christ’s 2nd Coming. The invisible kingdom is the kingdom of grace and we are to experience this kingdom right now if we are willing to receive it. Perhaps the best news of all is God’s willingness to give us the kingdom: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
The kingdom of glory:
Matthew 19:28, 29 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory… everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
Matthew 25:31, 34 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory...Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
The kingdom of grace:
Luke 17:20, 21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness
Isa 48:18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isa 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law:
Jer 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Ro 3:22 the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Ro 5:21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ro 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
2Co 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Eph 5:9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
Peace
Ps 119:165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Ro 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Joy
Ps 70:4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified!"
Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD."
Jer 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
Neh 8:10 The joy of the Lord is your strength
Mt 5:11, 12 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Lu 15:6 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Ac 5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
2Co 2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.
Php 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
1Pe 1:3-6 His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice,
“The kingdom of God's grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second coming of Christ to this world... And Christ will take to Himself His great power and will reign...
But before that coming, Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations." Matthew 24:14. His kingdom will not come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth. Hence, as we give ourselves to God, and win other souls to Him, we hasten the coming of His kingdom. Only those who devote themselves to His service, saying, "Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8), to open blind eyes, to turn men "from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified" (Acts 26:18)--they alone pray in sincerity, "Thy kingdom come." --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p. 108
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Your Kingdom Come”
“The kingdom of God” in the Bible is spoken of in two different ways. One kingdom is visible and tangible. The other kingdom is invisible and spiritual but just as real as the visible kingdom. The visible kingdom which is yet future is the kingdom of glory at Christ’s 2nd Coming. The invisible kingdom is the kingdom of grace and we are to experience this kingdom right now if we are willing to receive it. Perhaps the best news of all is God’s willingness to give us the kingdom: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
The kingdom of glory:
Matthew 19:28, 29 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory… everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
Matthew 25:31, 34 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory...Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
The kingdom of grace:
Luke 17:20, 21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness
Isa 48:18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isa 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law:
Jer 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Ro 3:22 the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Ro 5:21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ro 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
2Co 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Eph 5:9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
Peace
Ps 119:165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Ro 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Joy
Ps 70:4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified!"
Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD."
Jer 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
Neh 8:10 The joy of the Lord is your strength
Mt 5:11, 12 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Lu 15:6 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Ac 5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
2Co 2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.
Php 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
1Pe 1:3-6 His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice,
“The kingdom of God's grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second coming of Christ to this world... And Christ will take to Himself His great power and will reign...
But before that coming, Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations." Matthew 24:14. His kingdom will not come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth. Hence, as we give ourselves to God, and win other souls to Him, we hasten the coming of His kingdom. Only those who devote themselves to His service, saying, "Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8), to open blind eyes, to turn men "from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified" (Acts 26:18)--they alone pray in sincerity, "Thy kingdom come." --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p. 108
Section Four
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
God alone can see into our future and knows what is best for us. That is why it is wise for us to pray for His will to be done instead of our own. Yet it is within the will of God to make requests of Him. Jesus set an example for us in the Garden of Gethsemane saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."--Luke 22:42 The cup of suffering was not removed from Jesus, but notice that the Father did honor His prayer with a different answer: “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” Luke 22:43
“When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to cling to the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall receive the blessing we need most. But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire, is presumption. God is too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly.”--Steps to Christ p. 96.
However, there are certain things that are made so clear in the Bible that they are the will of God that when we make our requests we should have no doubt that God is going to do just as He promised. “Jesus says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. There is a condition to this promise--that we pray according to the will of God. But it is the will of God to cleanse us from sin, to make us His children, and to enable us to live a holy life. So we may ask for these blessings, and believe that we receive them, and thank God that we have received them.--Steps to Christ p. 51
Below are a few Scriptures that clearly reveal God’s will, we are told to pray for, or things that Jesus prayed for:
Jeremiah 31:33, 34 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Ezekiel 36:25-29 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. "I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.
Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Laborers for the harvest.
John 14:26, 27 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
John 17:13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
John 17:15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
John 17:17, 18 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
John 17:23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 17: 24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." [Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."]
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Romans 8:3, 4 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
1Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts,
1Corinthians 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
Ephesians 3:17-19 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Colossians 1:10-14 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Additional note on “Thy will be done”:
“The will of God is expressed in the precepts of His holy law, and the principles of this law are the principles of heaven. The angels of heaven attain unto no higher knowledge than to know the will of God, and to do His will is the highest service that can engage their powers. But in heaven, service is not rendered in the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of. In their ministry the angels are not as servants, but as sons. There is perfect unity between them and their Creator. Obedience is to them no drudgery. Love for God makes their service a joy. So in every soul wherein Christ, the hope of glory, dwells, His words are re-echoed, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart." Psalm 40:8. {MB 109.2}
The petition, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," is a prayer that the reign of evil on this earth may be ended, that sin may be forever destroyed, and the kingdom of righteousness be established. Then in earth as in heaven will be fulfilled "all the good pleasure of His goodness." 2 Thessalonians 1:11.--Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 109, 110
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
God alone can see into our future and knows what is best for us. That is why it is wise for us to pray for His will to be done instead of our own. Yet it is within the will of God to make requests of Him. Jesus set an example for us in the Garden of Gethsemane saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."--Luke 22:42 The cup of suffering was not removed from Jesus, but notice that the Father did honor His prayer with a different answer: “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” Luke 22:43
“When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to cling to the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall receive the blessing we need most. But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire, is presumption. God is too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly.”--Steps to Christ p. 96.
However, there are certain things that are made so clear in the Bible that they are the will of God that when we make our requests we should have no doubt that God is going to do just as He promised. “Jesus says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. There is a condition to this promise--that we pray according to the will of God. But it is the will of God to cleanse us from sin, to make us His children, and to enable us to live a holy life. So we may ask for these blessings, and believe that we receive them, and thank God that we have received them.--Steps to Christ p. 51
Below are a few Scriptures that clearly reveal God’s will, we are told to pray for, or things that Jesus prayed for:
Jeremiah 31:33, 34 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Ezekiel 36:25-29 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. "I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.
Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Laborers for the harvest.
John 14:26, 27 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
John 17:13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
John 17:15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
John 17:17, 18 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
John 17:23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 17: 24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." [Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."]
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Romans 8:3, 4 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
1Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts,
1Corinthians 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
Ephesians 3:17-19 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Colossians 1:10-14 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Additional note on “Thy will be done”:
“The will of God is expressed in the precepts of His holy law, and the principles of this law are the principles of heaven. The angels of heaven attain unto no higher knowledge than to know the will of God, and to do His will is the highest service that can engage their powers. But in heaven, service is not rendered in the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of. In their ministry the angels are not as servants, but as sons. There is perfect unity between them and their Creator. Obedience is to them no drudgery. Love for God makes their service a joy. So in every soul wherein Christ, the hope of glory, dwells, His words are re-echoed, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart." Psalm 40:8. {MB 109.2}
The petition, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," is a prayer that the reign of evil on this earth may be ended, that sin may be forever destroyed, and the kingdom of righteousness be established. Then in earth as in heaven will be fulfilled "all the good pleasure of His goodness." 2 Thessalonians 1:11.--Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 109, 110
Section Five
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
“...You are as a child who is not yet placed in control of his inheritance. God does not entrust to you your precious possession, lest Satan by his wily arts should beguile you, as he did the first pair in Eden. Christ holds it for you, safe beyond the spoiler's reach. Like the child, you shall receive day by day what is required for the day's need. Every day you are to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Be not dismayed if you have not sufficient for tomorrow. You have the assurance of His promise, "So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." David says, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Psalm 37:3, 25. That God who sent the ravens to feed Elijah by the brook Cherith will not pass by one of His faithful, self-sacrificing children. Of him that walketh righteously it is written: "Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Isaiah 33:16; Psalm 37:19; Romans 8:32. He who lightened the cares and anxieties of His widowed mother and helped her to provide for the household at Nazareth, sympathizes with every mother in her struggle to provide her children food. He who had compassion on the multitude because they "fainted, and were scattered abroad" (Matthew 9:36), still has compassion on the suffering poor. His hand is stretched out toward them in blessing; and in the very prayer which He gave His disciples, He teaches us to remember the poor.
When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," we ask for others as well as ourselves. And we acknowledge that what God gives us is not for ourselves alone. God gives to us in trust, that we may feed the hungry. Of His goodness He has prepared for the poor. Psalm 68:10. And He says, "When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors. . . . But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:12-14.
"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:8, 6.
The prayer for daily bread includes not only food to sustain the body, but that spiritual bread which will nourish the soul unto life everlasting. Jesus bids us, "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." John 6:27. He says, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." Verse 51. Our Saviour is the bread of life, and it is by beholding His love, by receiving it into the soul, that we feed upon the bread which came down from heaven.
We receive Christ through His word, and the Holy Spirit is given to open the word of God to our understanding, and bring home its truths to our hearts. We are to pray day by day that as we read His word, God will send His Spirit to reveal to us the truth that will strengthen our souls for the day's need.
In teaching us to ask every day for what we need--both temporal and spiritual blessings--God has a purpose to accomplish for our good. He would have us realize our dependence upon His constant care, for He is seeking to draw us into communion with Himself. In this communion with Christ, through prayer and the study of the great and precious truths of His word, we shall as hungry souls be fed; as those that thirst, we shall be refreshed at the fountain of life. --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 110-113
God’s Promises for Physical and Spiritual Necessities:
Deuteronomy 8:3, 4 "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. "Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
Psalm 37:3 (NLV) Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed.
Psalm 78:20-25 Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?" Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven, Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels' food; He sent them food to the full.
Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
"For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
2Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:53-58 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
"This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
Isaiah 55:1-3 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you-The sure mercies of David.
Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'
Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
“...You are as a child who is not yet placed in control of his inheritance. God does not entrust to you your precious possession, lest Satan by his wily arts should beguile you, as he did the first pair in Eden. Christ holds it for you, safe beyond the spoiler's reach. Like the child, you shall receive day by day what is required for the day's need. Every day you are to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Be not dismayed if you have not sufficient for tomorrow. You have the assurance of His promise, "So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." David says, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Psalm 37:3, 25. That God who sent the ravens to feed Elijah by the brook Cherith will not pass by one of His faithful, self-sacrificing children. Of him that walketh righteously it is written: "Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Isaiah 33:16; Psalm 37:19; Romans 8:32. He who lightened the cares and anxieties of His widowed mother and helped her to provide for the household at Nazareth, sympathizes with every mother in her struggle to provide her children food. He who had compassion on the multitude because they "fainted, and were scattered abroad" (Matthew 9:36), still has compassion on the suffering poor. His hand is stretched out toward them in blessing; and in the very prayer which He gave His disciples, He teaches us to remember the poor.
When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," we ask for others as well as ourselves. And we acknowledge that what God gives us is not for ourselves alone. God gives to us in trust, that we may feed the hungry. Of His goodness He has prepared for the poor. Psalm 68:10. And He says, "When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors. . . . But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:12-14.
"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:8, 6.
The prayer for daily bread includes not only food to sustain the body, but that spiritual bread which will nourish the soul unto life everlasting. Jesus bids us, "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." John 6:27. He says, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." Verse 51. Our Saviour is the bread of life, and it is by beholding His love, by receiving it into the soul, that we feed upon the bread which came down from heaven.
We receive Christ through His word, and the Holy Spirit is given to open the word of God to our understanding, and bring home its truths to our hearts. We are to pray day by day that as we read His word, God will send His Spirit to reveal to us the truth that will strengthen our souls for the day's need.
In teaching us to ask every day for what we need--both temporal and spiritual blessings--God has a purpose to accomplish for our good. He would have us realize our dependence upon His constant care, for He is seeking to draw us into communion with Himself. In this communion with Christ, through prayer and the study of the great and precious truths of His word, we shall as hungry souls be fed; as those that thirst, we shall be refreshed at the fountain of life. --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 110-113
God’s Promises for Physical and Spiritual Necessities:
Deuteronomy 8:3, 4 "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. "Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
Psalm 37:3 (NLV) Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed.
Psalm 78:20-25 Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?" Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven, Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels' food; He sent them food to the full.
Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
"For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
2Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:53-58 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
"This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
Isaiah 55:1-3 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you-The sure mercies of David.
Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'
Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Section Six
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”
Jesus teaches that we can receive forgiveness from God only as we forgive others. It is the love of God that draws us unto Him, and that love cannot touch our hearts without creating love for our brethren.
After completing the Lord's Prayer, Jesus added: "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p. 113
We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. The ground of all forgiveness is found in the unmerited love of God, but by our attitude toward others we show whether we have made that love our own. Wherefore Christ says, “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:2 --Christ’s Object Lessons p. 251
He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured us confess the wrong we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether or not they confess their faults. However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries; but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God we are to pardon all who have done evil to us.
But forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. When God gives the promise that He "will abundantly pardon," He adds, as if the meaning of that promise exceeded all that we could comprehend: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:7-9. God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. And again he says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12.
God in Christ gave Himself for our sins. He suffered the cruel death of the cross, bore for us the burden of guilt, "the just for the unjust," that He might reveal to us His love and draw us to Himself. And He says, "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32, R.V. Let Christ, the divine Life, dwell in you and through you reveal the heaven-born love that will inspire hope in the hopeless and bring heaven's peace to the sin-stricken heart. As we come to God, this is the condition which meets us at the threshold, that, receiving mercy from Him, we yield ourselves to reveal His grace to others.
The one thing essential for us in order that we may receive and impart the forgiving love of God is to know and believe the love that He has to us. 1 John 4:16. Satan is working by every deception he can command, in order that we may not discern that love. He will lead us to think that our mistakes and transgressions have been so grievous that the Lord will not have respect unto our prayers and will not bless and save us. In ourselves we can see nothing but weakness, nothing to recommend us to God, and Satan tells us that it is of no use; we cannot remedy our defects of character. When we try to come to God, the enemy will whisper, It is of no use for you to pray; did not you do that evil thing? Have you not sinned against God and violated your own conscience? But we may tell the enemy that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. When we feel that we have sinned and cannot pray, it is then the time to pray. Ashamed we may be and deeply humbled, but we must pray and believe. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15. Forgiveness, reconciliation with God, comes to us, not as a reward for our works, it is not bestowed because of the merit of sinful men, but it is a gift unto us, having in the spotless righteousness of Christ its foundation for bestowal.
We should not try to lessen our guilt by excusing sin. We must accept God's estimate of sin, and that is heavy indeed. Calvary alone can reveal the terrible enormity of sin. If we had to bear our own guilt, it would crush us. But the sinless One has taken our place; though undeserving, He has borne our iniquity. "If we confess our sins," God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. Glorious truth!--just to His own law, and yet the Justifier of all that believe in Jesus. "Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy." Micah 7:18. --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 113-116
When the Bible speaks of “the heart” it is talking about the center of our affections. Our sin problem is deeper than what we do. God wants to change our hearts so that we hate sin and love righteousness. He promises “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 He also promises “I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.” Ezekiel 36:25. If you want to experience a deeper level of forgiveness and transformation confess not only your sinful choices but confess the idol itself that leads to the action. Below are examples of our idols:
Power: Seeking physical, mental, social or even spiritual power to accomplish our goals or our glory instead of God’s goals and God’s glory. Daniel 4:30; Luke 22:25-27; Mark 9:33-35;
Possessions: Seeking fulfillment and security in the accumulation of money and the things money can buy.
Luke 12:15; Colossians 3:5; 1Timothy 6:8-10,
People: Depending on others instead of God for our identity, value, meaning, purpose and direction in life or loving or reverencing someone else more than we love or reverence God.
Jeremiah 17:5; Isaiah 2:22; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26
Pleasure: Putting Sex, Appetite, Labor, Leisure or Entertainment in God’s place. (SALE)
Judges 5:23; Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 21:28-31; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 17:26-28; Luke 21:34; Romans 13:13, 14; Ephesians 5:3; Philippians 3:19;Colossians 3:5; 2Timothy 2:22; James 4:4; James 5:5; 1John 2:16
Pretense: Replacing true worship of the Lord with Ceremonialism, History, Emotionalism, Knowledge. (CHEK)
2Kings 10:16; Proverbs 14:12; Matthew 3:9 7:6; 7:21-27; 9:13; 15:8; 23:23; 25:3,4; 25:31-46; Luke 9:23; 11:42; John 3:3; 5:39, 40, 6;53-56; 42; Romans 2:17-23; 2Corinthians 6:2; 2Timothy 3:5; Hebrews 3:15; 6:1; James 1:27; Revelation 3:14-22
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”
Jesus teaches that we can receive forgiveness from God only as we forgive others. It is the love of God that draws us unto Him, and that love cannot touch our hearts without creating love for our brethren.
After completing the Lord's Prayer, Jesus added: "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p. 113
We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. The ground of all forgiveness is found in the unmerited love of God, but by our attitude toward others we show whether we have made that love our own. Wherefore Christ says, “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:2 --Christ’s Object Lessons p. 251
He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured us confess the wrong we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether or not they confess their faults. However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries; but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God we are to pardon all who have done evil to us.
But forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. When God gives the promise that He "will abundantly pardon," He adds, as if the meaning of that promise exceeded all that we could comprehend: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:7-9. God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. And again he says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12.
God in Christ gave Himself for our sins. He suffered the cruel death of the cross, bore for us the burden of guilt, "the just for the unjust," that He might reveal to us His love and draw us to Himself. And He says, "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32, R.V. Let Christ, the divine Life, dwell in you and through you reveal the heaven-born love that will inspire hope in the hopeless and bring heaven's peace to the sin-stricken heart. As we come to God, this is the condition which meets us at the threshold, that, receiving mercy from Him, we yield ourselves to reveal His grace to others.
The one thing essential for us in order that we may receive and impart the forgiving love of God is to know and believe the love that He has to us. 1 John 4:16. Satan is working by every deception he can command, in order that we may not discern that love. He will lead us to think that our mistakes and transgressions have been so grievous that the Lord will not have respect unto our prayers and will not bless and save us. In ourselves we can see nothing but weakness, nothing to recommend us to God, and Satan tells us that it is of no use; we cannot remedy our defects of character. When we try to come to God, the enemy will whisper, It is of no use for you to pray; did not you do that evil thing? Have you not sinned against God and violated your own conscience? But we may tell the enemy that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. When we feel that we have sinned and cannot pray, it is then the time to pray. Ashamed we may be and deeply humbled, but we must pray and believe. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15. Forgiveness, reconciliation with God, comes to us, not as a reward for our works, it is not bestowed because of the merit of sinful men, but it is a gift unto us, having in the spotless righteousness of Christ its foundation for bestowal.
We should not try to lessen our guilt by excusing sin. We must accept God's estimate of sin, and that is heavy indeed. Calvary alone can reveal the terrible enormity of sin. If we had to bear our own guilt, it would crush us. But the sinless One has taken our place; though undeserving, He has borne our iniquity. "If we confess our sins," God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. Glorious truth!--just to His own law, and yet the Justifier of all that believe in Jesus. "Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy." Micah 7:18. --Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 113-116
When the Bible speaks of “the heart” it is talking about the center of our affections. Our sin problem is deeper than what we do. God wants to change our hearts so that we hate sin and love righteousness. He promises “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 He also promises “I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.” Ezekiel 36:25. If you want to experience a deeper level of forgiveness and transformation confess not only your sinful choices but confess the idol itself that leads to the action. Below are examples of our idols:
Power: Seeking physical, mental, social or even spiritual power to accomplish our goals or our glory instead of God’s goals and God’s glory. Daniel 4:30; Luke 22:25-27; Mark 9:33-35;
Possessions: Seeking fulfillment and security in the accumulation of money and the things money can buy.
Luke 12:15; Colossians 3:5; 1Timothy 6:8-10,
People: Depending on others instead of God for our identity, value, meaning, purpose and direction in life or loving or reverencing someone else more than we love or reverence God.
Jeremiah 17:5; Isaiah 2:22; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26
Pleasure: Putting Sex, Appetite, Labor, Leisure or Entertainment in God’s place. (SALE)
Judges 5:23; Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 21:28-31; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 17:26-28; Luke 21:34; Romans 13:13, 14; Ephesians 5:3; Philippians 3:19;Colossians 3:5; 2Timothy 2:22; James 4:4; James 5:5; 1John 2:16
Pretense: Replacing true worship of the Lord with Ceremonialism, History, Emotionalism, Knowledge. (CHEK)
2Kings 10:16; Proverbs 14:12; Matthew 3:9 7:6; 7:21-27; 9:13; 15:8; 23:23; 25:3,4; 25:31-46; Luke 9:23; 11:42; John 3:3; 5:39, 40, 6;53-56; 42; Romans 2:17-23; 2Corinthians 6:2; 2Timothy 3:5; Hebrews 3:15; 6:1; James 1:27; Revelation 3:14-22
Section Seven
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”
Temptation is enticement to sin, and this does not proceed from God, but from Satan and from the evil of our own hearts. "God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempteth no man." James 1:13, R.V.
Yielding to temptation begins in permitting the mind to waver, to be inconstant in your trust in God. If we do not choose to give ourselves fully to God then we are in darkness. When we make any reserve we are leaving open a door through which Satan can enter to lead us astray by his temptations. He knows that if he can obscure our vision, so that the eye of faith cannot see God, there will be no barrier against sin.
Temptation is not sin, and is no indication that God is displeased with us. The Lord suffers us to be tempted, but he measures every temptation, and apportions it according to our power to resist and overcome evil.
It is not in the power of Satan to force anyone to sin. Sin is the sinner's individual act. Before sin exists in the heart, the consent of the will must be given, and as soon as it is given, sin is triumphant, and hell rejoices. But there is no excuse for sin, either great or little. Christ has been provided as the tempted one's refuge
The prevalence of a sinful desire shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens the soul's aversion to God. In following the path of Satan's choosing, we are encompassed by the shadows of evil, and every step leads into deeper darkness and increases the blindness of the heart.
Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own...God in His great love is seeking to develop in us the precious graces of His Spirit. He permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives. Every temptation resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience and advances us in the work of character building. The soul that through divine power resists temptation reveals to the world and to the heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ.
But while we are not to be dismayed by trial, bitter though it be, we should pray that God will not permit us to be brought where we shall be drawn away by the desires of our own evil hearts. In offering the prayer that Christ has given, we surrender ourselves to the guidance of God, asking Him to lead us in safe paths. We cannot offer this prayer in sincerity, and yet decide to walk in any way of our own choosing. We shall wait for His hand to lead us; we shall listen to His voice, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." Isaiah 30:21.
It is not safe for us to linger to contemplate the advantages to be reaped through yielding to Satan's suggestions. Sin means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it; but it is blinding and deceiving in its nature, and it will entice us with flattering presentations. If we venture on Satan's ground we have no assurance of protection from his power. So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.
The prayer, "Bring us not into temptation," is itself a promise. If we commit ourselves to God we have the assurance, He "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13.
The only safeguard against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. It is because selfishness exists in our hearts that temptation has power over us. But when we behold the great love of God, selfishness appears to us in its hideous and repulsive character, and we desire to have it expelled from the soul. As the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, our hearts are softened and subdued, the temptation loses its power, and the grace of Christ transforms the character.
Christ will never abandon the soul for whom He has died. The soul may leave Him and be overwhelmed with temptation, but Christ can never turn from one for whom He has paid the ransom of His own life. Could our spiritual vision be quickened, we should see souls bowed under oppression and burdened with grief, pressed as a cart beneath sheaves and ready to die in discouragement. We should see angels flying swiftly to aid these tempted ones, who are standing as on the brink of a precipice. The angels from heaven force back the hosts of evil that encompass these souls, and guide them to plant their feet on the sure foundation. The battles waging between the two armies are as real as those fought by the armies of this world, and on the issue of the spiritual conflict eternal destinies depend.-- Compiled from Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 92, 116-119 and Signs of the Times 12/18/1893.
Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Luke 8:13, 14 "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life,...
Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Romans 6:1, 2, 11, 12 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Romans 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
1Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
2Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
James 1:13-15, 21, 22 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
1John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
1John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Revelation 2 and 3; 21:7 "He who overcomes shall: not be hurt by the second death, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, [with] a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it, I will give power over the nations, [he] shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels, shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray:
“Do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”
Temptation is enticement to sin, and this does not proceed from God, but from Satan and from the evil of our own hearts. "God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempteth no man." James 1:13, R.V.
Yielding to temptation begins in permitting the mind to waver, to be inconstant in your trust in God. If we do not choose to give ourselves fully to God then we are in darkness. When we make any reserve we are leaving open a door through which Satan can enter to lead us astray by his temptations. He knows that if he can obscure our vision, so that the eye of faith cannot see God, there will be no barrier against sin.
Temptation is not sin, and is no indication that God is displeased with us. The Lord suffers us to be tempted, but he measures every temptation, and apportions it according to our power to resist and overcome evil.
It is not in the power of Satan to force anyone to sin. Sin is the sinner's individual act. Before sin exists in the heart, the consent of the will must be given, and as soon as it is given, sin is triumphant, and hell rejoices. But there is no excuse for sin, either great or little. Christ has been provided as the tempted one's refuge
The prevalence of a sinful desire shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens the soul's aversion to God. In following the path of Satan's choosing, we are encompassed by the shadows of evil, and every step leads into deeper darkness and increases the blindness of the heart.
Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own...God in His great love is seeking to develop in us the precious graces of His Spirit. He permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives. Every temptation resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience and advances us in the work of character building. The soul that through divine power resists temptation reveals to the world and to the heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ.
But while we are not to be dismayed by trial, bitter though it be, we should pray that God will not permit us to be brought where we shall be drawn away by the desires of our own evil hearts. In offering the prayer that Christ has given, we surrender ourselves to the guidance of God, asking Him to lead us in safe paths. We cannot offer this prayer in sincerity, and yet decide to walk in any way of our own choosing. We shall wait for His hand to lead us; we shall listen to His voice, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." Isaiah 30:21.
It is not safe for us to linger to contemplate the advantages to be reaped through yielding to Satan's suggestions. Sin means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it; but it is blinding and deceiving in its nature, and it will entice us with flattering presentations. If we venture on Satan's ground we have no assurance of protection from his power. So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.
The prayer, "Bring us not into temptation," is itself a promise. If we commit ourselves to God we have the assurance, He "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13.
The only safeguard against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. It is because selfishness exists in our hearts that temptation has power over us. But when we behold the great love of God, selfishness appears to us in its hideous and repulsive character, and we desire to have it expelled from the soul. As the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, our hearts are softened and subdued, the temptation loses its power, and the grace of Christ transforms the character.
Christ will never abandon the soul for whom He has died. The soul may leave Him and be overwhelmed with temptation, but Christ can never turn from one for whom He has paid the ransom of His own life. Could our spiritual vision be quickened, we should see souls bowed under oppression and burdened with grief, pressed as a cart beneath sheaves and ready to die in discouragement. We should see angels flying swiftly to aid these tempted ones, who are standing as on the brink of a precipice. The angels from heaven force back the hosts of evil that encompass these souls, and guide them to plant their feet on the sure foundation. The battles waging between the two armies are as real as those fought by the armies of this world, and on the issue of the spiritual conflict eternal destinies depend.-- Compiled from Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pp 92, 116-119 and Signs of the Times 12/18/1893.
Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Luke 8:13, 14 "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life,...
Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Romans 6:1, 2, 11, 12 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Romans 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
1Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
2Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
James 1:13-15, 21, 22 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
1John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
1John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Revelation 2 and 3; 21:7 "He who overcomes shall: not be hurt by the second death, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, [with] a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it, I will give power over the nations, [he] shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels, shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
