The Lord's Prayer
A Hope of Glory Study
Lesson 9: For Thine is the Kingdom
November 16, 2023 • Meg Rice
At this point in this famous prayer, we have acknowledged that God is our Father. We have a loving and subjugating relationship with him. He is also ruler of the universe, all-powerful in the heavenly realms. His name is holy, and we are to honor and revere his name and person. We acknowledge his sovereign rule in our lives and eventually throughout the entire earth. These words mean we sign up for a struggle and a battle. We are assured victory because God is our provider of all things that we need to survive. He is the one who protects us and defends us from ourselves, the world, and the devil. The model prayer has everything we need as kingdom dwellers on this earth. What else can we do but give God glory for all he is to us.
Lesson 8: Deliver Us From Evil
November 9, 2023 • Meg Rice
Evil takes form in three different areas of our lives. The fallen world we live in with its evil standards is one we must fight continually. Another is our flesh. In other words, the humanity that we are born into has evil desires that can trip us up. Lastly, evil lurks in the form of Satan and his minions.
Lesson 7: Lead Us Not Into Temptation
November 2, 2023 • Meg Rice
There is a concept in the world, that once you come to faith in Jesus Christ, your world is perfect. Life is good and without conflict. This is not what the Bible teaches. When we profess the Lord’s prayer and acknowledge God as our Father and bow to his sovereignty, we sign up for a battle. Part of that battle is temptation. The root of the word “temptation” is from the Middle English word temptation which means “testing or enticement to sin”. The Latin root temptare means “to feel, test, attempt, make an assault on, attack”. Our humanity exposes us to a life of temptation to sin, but grasping the hand of our loving Father helps us to overcome temptation.
Lesson 6: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
October 26, 2023 • Meg Rice
Matthew 6:33 states “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” To me this means pursuing a relationship with our Creator as the loving Father he wishes to be to us. We not only should honor his holiness, but we should acknowledge his sovereignty in heaven and in each of our lives. This makes us kingdom builders and contributors to God’s plan for the universe. Once we do that, then he becomes the provider both physically, emotionally, and spiritually in our lives. Our daily bread is the first request on our lips, forgiveness is the second.
Lesson 5: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
October 19, 2023 • Meg Rice
As we honor God by doing His will in our lives on earth, we become beacons of light for a world in darkness. The following two verses explain this concept beautifully. Colossians 1:13 “For he (God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption for the forgiveness of sins.” Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” This sets the stage for the solicitation part of the Lord’s Prayer.
Lesson 4: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done
October 12, 2023 • Meg Rice
At this point in our model prayer, we have affirmed that God is a Father to us. He reigns in heaven. His name is Holy. Now we look at the part of the Lord’s Prayer that should give us hope and assurance. There are two kingdoms referred to here. One is the heavenly realm where God reigns supreme now. The other kingdom on earth dovetails into the heavenly kingdom in the life of Jesus. God’s kingdom on earth will not be fully established until the second coming of Jesus when he will reign here.
Lesson 3: Hallowed be Thy Name
October 5, 2023 • Meg Rice
In times of exasperation, I let slip “Oh God” or “God dang it”. Immediately, I get convicted that using God’s name in a slang reference is not “hallowing his name”. This part of The Lord’s Prayer is a request for us to hallow or to keep holy his name. It takes the form of a commitment, an attitude we are to have as we approach our Father who reigns in heaven in full sovereignty, power, and glory. It is not to be taken lightly.
Lesson 2: Who Art in Heaven
September 28, 2023 • Meg Rice
The Matthew account of The Lord’s Prayer does not include this phrase “Who art in heaven”, but the Luke version does. Since I ALWAYS include “who art in heaven”, let’s look at what this phrase means. It begs the question, where is heaven? Where is God the Father? Is he up in outer space? Is he just beyond a veil that separates this present life from heavenly existence? What is heaven like?
Lesson 1: Our Father
September 21, 2023 • Meg Rice
When you think of the word “father”, what image comes into your mind? Is it a loving father, a strict father, a troubled father, an absentee father or maybe some other thought? Many times, our concept of our heavenly Father is filtered by what we experienced from our earthly father. Jesus chose the first two words of The Lord’s Prayer for a reason, and they tell us a great deal.
Introduction
September 14, 2023 • Meg Rice
The Lord’s Prayer — It is famous throughout the world. Going to various countries, you find believers who repeat the ancient words in their individual tongues. For me, it was the prayer I learned after "Now I lay me down to sleep". The Lord’s Prayer is repeated in practically all religious services. Over and over again, year after year, we speak these words from memory. But does that cause it to become somehow rote? This study was recommended by one of our Hope of Glory ladies, and it quickened me when she mentioned it. We all need to break apart this prayer to get into the deeper knowledge of what Jesus was teaching.