Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

• The Lord's Prayer is given to us in the Word of God in two passages, Luke 11, and Matthew 6

Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• "And lead us not into temptation" - The word "temptation" can also be translated "trial". Whenever Satan tempts us, endeavoring to make us sin, we are being tried. But God does not tempt anyone to try to make them fall into sin. A man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lusts. God comes to the human race with His law. If a person breaks that law, the inherent lusts that are characteristic of an unsaved person make that law a temptation to sin. However, it was not the law that God gave that caused that man to sin. Rather it was that man's own sinful desires. The law had been given to help him understand his need of a Savior. Thus as we pray "lead (or bring) me not into temptation", we are praying for salvation so that we will no longer lust after sin, but will desire greater and greater obedience to God.

Jam 1:12-15 "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Rom 7:7-9 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

Rom 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Gal 3:24-25 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

1 Cor 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who 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."

• Whosoever is born of God sinneth not - That way of escape that God provides is salvation. When we have become saved we earnestly desire to be obedient to God. Remember,The source of our sins is our heart. God gives a new birth by granting us a new Heart and putting His Spirit in us.

Luke 8:13,15 "They on the rock [stony heart, unsaved] are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root [no Spirit of God], which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 15But that on the good ground [heart of flesh, saved] are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

Eze 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

1 John 5:18 "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten [born-again of] of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

Luke 6:43-45 "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

• Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Now God enabled me by granting Salvation as a gift, I combat the Sin by putting on the whole armor of God, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who combated temptation with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Eph 6:10-18 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Psa 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Luke 4:1-13 "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread [lust of the flesh] . 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them [lust of the eyes] : for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence [pride of life]: 10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."

• "Deliver us from evil" - The word "evil" here can be understood as Satan, as sin, and as the wrath to come. Before we are saved, we are in bondage to Satan, and we are in bondage to sin. These are the terrible evils to which every human is enslaved. But in addition we are under the wrath of God. The judgment of God is a terrible evil that man is under because God's perfect justice demands full payment for sin. Therefore, the prayer "deliver us from evil" is also a prayer for salvation. To become saved is to be set free from bondage to sin and Satan and to be delivered from the wrath of God.

Rom 8:5-8 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

John 8:32-36 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Col 1:13 "Who [God] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son…”

Rom 7:5 "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."

Jam 1:14-15 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

1 Cor 15:54-57 "... Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57Butthanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Rev 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [born again] : on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years [eternity]."

• "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." - The Lord's Prayer concludes with this marvelous doxology. The focal point is on God: "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed by thy name", then the focal point shifts to God's salvation program in the world and in my heart, which is all through Christ. The Lord's Prayer is a magnificent prayer for mankind who desperately needs salvation. Jesus tells us how to pray. We are dead in our sins, and we are destined for destruction. Christ tells us in this beautiful prayer how we should seek salvation. And we see that all of the glory throughout eternity goes to God. Praise God for His wonderful salvation!

Ephesians 2:1-5 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

1 Pet 1:3-4 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again [born again] unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Rev 5:9-12 "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."

Rev 7:9-12 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes [robe of Christ's Righteousness], and palms in their hands; 10And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Forgive Us Our Debts, as We Forgive Our Debtors

• The Lord's Prayer is given to us in the Word of God in two passages, Luke 11, and Matthew 6

 
Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• "And forgive us our debts" - At least three words are commonly used in the New Testament to signify "sin," including the word "debt." We are debtors to God because we have sinned. The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). There is a penalty that we must pay to God for our sins, and that payment is eternal destruction. When we pray, "forgive us our debts," effectively, we are praying, "O God, have mercy on me. I'm a sinner. Will you pay the penalty that I rightly deserve to pay?" The Lord Jesus came to endure that payment on our behalf. He came to ransom us from the power of the grave, from eternal destruction, from the wrath of God.

Mat 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Luke 4:18-19 "[quoting Isa 61:1-2] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me [Jesus] , because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance [forgiveness] to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Acts 10:43 "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him [Jesus] shall receive remission [forgiveness] of sins.”

Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them [elect of God]; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."

Psa 103:3-4,12 “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Heb 10:16-18 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.”

Psa 32:1-2 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

Eph 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Psa 130:4 "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."

Rom 4:4 "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”

Rom 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Eph 2:5,8 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

• "As we forgive our debtors" - The Lord's Prayer is focused on God our Savior until this phrase, which could be a bellwether or indicator as to where we stand before Christ. Blessed are the merciful. God is merciful to us while we were yet sinners and expects the same from us. We show Mercy by forgiving the ones who has done wrong to us and also by proclaiming the Gospel of Grace to them so that they too might find Mercy from God. The unsaved can be bitter, resentful, and angry if they believe they have been wronged by another person's word or deed. The reason is because mankind by nature is egotistical and proud. When God calls us, He effectively says, if you pray and acknowledge God as your Savior, and there is resentment in your heart for some individual whom you cannot love, then examine your heart. You do not know what salvation is. When we have resentment, we have to ask, "Am I born again? How can I expect God to forgive me if I continue with this unforgiven relationship?" The phrase "As we forgive our debtors," therefore, is a reminder to examine ourselves to determine whether we are truly saved.

Matt 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

Matt 5:43-45 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Matt 6:12 "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Matt 18:23-38 "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses"

2 Cor 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

• The Lord's Prayer is given to us in the Word of God in two passages, Luke 11, and Matthew 6

 
Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• My God shall supply all your need - A child of God should learn to be content and to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need, knowing that all things work together for good to them that love God.

Php 4:10-13 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

1 Tim 6:8 "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

2 Cor 12:9-10 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

• "Give us this day our daily bread" - Is God teaching us to pray for physical sustenance? In one sense, sure. There is a physical meaning to “give us this day our daily bread,” in that we can pray, “Lord, feed me”. Of course, we are dependent upon God for clothing, housing, and food, but what about Luke 12. God gives no guarantee that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will always have a full bowl of rice. Whether we have enough to eat or not is immaterial. The big question that God wants us to face is: Are we spiritually nourished? when you pray 'Give us day by day our daily bread' you are praying for a daily dose of understanding of God’s Word. We pray that God would give you understanding of what you read, that it would bless you. So it is the Word of God that we need for spiritual life, strength and energy, and to get us through each day.

Luke 4:2-4 "Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

Luke 12:22-23,30 "And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have store-house nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."

• Bread of Life - Micah’s prophecy informs us that the Lord Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem, or the “house of Bread”. This should not surprise us because the Bible refers to Jesus Christ as the “Bread of Life” in John 6. The greatest desire of one who has been redeemed is to be obedient to His Master’s will as set forth in His Word, the Bible. The child of God has also discovered true contentment as 1 Tim 6 asserts, He is to be satisfied with food – the Bread of Life, who is the Lord Jesus Himself and His Word, the Bible. He is also to be satisfied with clothing – the robe of Christ's righteousness, the only covering for man’s sin.

Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem [house of Bread] Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

John14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

1 Tim 6:8 "And having food [the Bread of Life] and raiment [the robe of Christ's righteousness, the only covering for man’s sin] let us be therewith content”.

• Full versus Hungry - Throughout the Bible one encounters apparent paradoxes that reveal God’s dealings both with His people and the unsaved. These are the only two categories that God divides the human race into, saved and unsaved. Those who are physically nourished are actually spiritually famished; whereas those who were physically famished are sustained by God’s Word, the Bread of Life. The parable of the rich man and the beggar in Luke 16 is another vivid portrait of the dichotomy between the spiritual nature of the Gospel as contrasted with the physical necessities of life.

Psa 34:10 “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.”

Luke 1:53 “He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.”

Luke 16:25 “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”

• He maketh me to lie down in green pastures - God is talking about His “sheep”, and the most nourishing physical food for sheep is tender, green grass. But what is the most nourishing spiritual food for God’s chosen people? It is His Word, the Bible. We believers “feed” spiritually upon the Word of God in its written form and upon the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is, of course, identified totally with the Word of God, and we partake of His body after we become saved. Now, notice it is God Who makes the sheep lie down, which means He is the One Who gives them rest. “He leadeth me beside the still waters”, and the Hebrew words for “still waters” really mean “waters of rest, or quietness”. That is a beautiful word picture of the “rest” of God’s salvation. The “rest” for our souls from the burden of the law, sin and second death is something only God can give to us – we cannot attain it through any of our own efforts.

John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Mat 11:28-30 “Come unto me [Jesus Christ], all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Heb 4:10-12 “For he that is entered into his [that is, God’s] rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour [study] therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit [or the spiritual], and of the joints and marrow [or the physical], and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Rom 5:1-2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Psa 23:1-2 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."

Heb 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Psa 79:13 “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.”

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will be Done in Earth, as it is in Heaven

• The Lord's Prayer is given to us in the Word of God in two passages, Luke 11, and Matthew 6

 
Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• God and His Kingdom are Holy and Not of This World - God’s kingdom is as holy as God Himself is holy and is spiritual in nature. Thus, all true believers are also not of this world because they are part of God’s kingdom. The disciples in Jesus day were looking for a political Messiah whom they hoped would free them from Roman rule. Many in our day have fallen into the same trap by mistakenly seeking political freedom, financial prosperity, or physical well-being from the Bible – this is the kingdom they are looking for. The Lord Jesus plainly taught in John 18 that His Kingdom is altogether spiritual in character. The mission of the Lord Jesus Christ is encapsulated in Matthew 1.

John 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

John 17:6,14 “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word… I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

Mat 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

1 Pet 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

• "Thy kingdom come" - We read about the kingdom of God in John 3. Jesus is talking about the kingdom that God has established through the Lord Jesus Christ, which we enter into when we are saved. The kingdom of God consists of all who will become saved and live with Christ forever in the new heavens and the new earth. When we pray, "thy kingdom come," we are saying, "Oh, God, I want to be part of your kingdom; I want to be saved. Thy kingdom come in my life." We are also saying, "Oh, Lord, we want thy kingdom to go out into the world and encompass all who are to be saved. We pray that the program of salvation which you designed from before the foundations of the earth will come to fruition."

John 3:3,5 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Matt 8:11-12 "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west [ God's Elect from both Jews and Gentiles, through Faith], and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom [blood descendants of Abraham] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matt 21:42-44 "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [Nation of Israel], and given to a nation [new testament Church] bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

Col 1:12-13 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"

• God's Will in Heaven - God's will was established in heaven. The will of God is expressed, for example, in Matthew 16. The will of God is that He will redeem a people for Himself and provide Salvation to the World through His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ was in perfect obedience to the Father's will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus in flesh, on earth, desired that the cup would pass away and yet Christ said, "not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36). Christ in His perfect obedience illustrates the perfect will of God. We ought to pray as He prayed so that in our life we might be obedient to God.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Heb 10:7-10 "Then said I [Lord Jesus Christ], Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Luke 22:42 "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

Eph 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

Matt 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [that rock is Christ] I will build my church [eternal, invisible church consisting of all born again believers starting from Abel]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

2 Pet 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

• " Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" - The will of God is to bring salvation to this world, and that relates personally to each of us, i.e., "Thy will be done" in my life. God's will will be done in my life only if I am saved, if I have become a child of God. If you are unsaved, God's will is not part of your life; if you are unsaved, you are going to live with your own will and not care about God's will. "Thy will be done," prayed from the heart means, "O God, make me obedient to thee; help me to abandon myself to thee. I want you to be my Savior." The will of God also includes the damnation of the unsaved. God's justice will be completed. When the day comes, He will finish vengeance upon the unsaved; that is God's business, and yet that is implied in the phrase, "thy will be done.

Matt 12:48-50 "But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

1 Thess 4:3 "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:"

Rom 7:18-19 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will [mans Will] is present with me; but how to perform that which is good [God's Will] I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

Rom 8:1-5 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit."

John 9:31 "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth."

1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"

Rom 8:26-28 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Jam 4:13-15 "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Hallowed be Thy Name

• The Lord's Prayer is given to us in the Word of God in two passages, Luke 11, and Matthew 6

Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• Hallowed be thy name - God’s Name is Holy. His very person is Holy. Everything involved with God is absolutely Holy. It is pure. It is clean. It is perfect. God is righteous. God is without sin, without error. He is spotless. He is the essence of holiness Himself. His Name is Holy, and we call this Book, the Bible, the Holy Bible because it comes forth from the mouth of God. Since He is Holy, His Word is Holy. This name alone itself tells us that there is no error in the Bible. There can not be any error.

Luke 1:49 "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name."

1 Pet 1:19 "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"


Rom 1:2 "(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)"


Rom 7:12 "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."


1 Pet 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

Psa 119:9 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."

Psa 97:2 “Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”

• Holiness is required to enter into Heaven - The moment that sin or an error or a mistake enters into something, it ceases to be Holy. This is what happened with mankind. When we sinned, we were no longer holy. We all fell in Adam and became unholy, unclean, spiritually dirty, spiritually filthy. We became like a leper in God’s sight.

Heb 12:14 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord…”

2 Tim 3:2-4 "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God…”

Job 15:16 “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”

Pro 30:12 “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.”

• Salvation - Holiness from God - Yet Holy God has sent forth His Holy Word, Word in flesh, Lord Jesus Christ to redeem certain individuals to Himself, to gather an elect people whom He will make Holy. He will purge them from their sins and from all of their evil deeds and from everything else. He will wash them and make them clean, and they will become Holy. So God commands, “Be ye holy; for I am holy,” and He speaks this to every individual. You cannot be holy when you are committing sin. You might be holy in your heart, if God has saved you, but where is the evidence of this holiness? There should be a desire to do His will, to keep His commandments more and more in our life. We are becoming more like God, and He is a Holy God, so we would want to follow the Word of God.

Eze 36:25-27 "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

Eph 1:4-6 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Tit 3:5-7 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Heb 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot [sin] to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Eph 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it [His Elect, The Church] with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

John 15:3 "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."

Col 1:21-22 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight...”

Eph. 4:24 “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Luke 1:74-75 "That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.”

1 Pet 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar [purchased] people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Our Father Who Art in Heaven

• The Lord's Prayer is given to us in the Word of God in two passages, Luke 11, and Matthew 6

Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."


Luke 11:2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

• "Our Father" - When Jesus prayed, He ad-dressed God as His Father. Amazingly, God commands us to also address God as "Our Father." We do not fully under-stand such condescension on God's part. The Old Testament also has references to God as our Father. In the Bible, the fatherless is a reference to the spiritually destitute, the unsaved people. We are of God our Father through creation, but our sins have estranged us from God. In Adam we all fell and spiritually, the devil became our father. When we become "born again" we are joined back into the family of God. We are orphans when we are dead to sin, and God comes to us as a Father to the fatherless. God may be a Father to those who acknowledge their orphaned condition, their spiritual bankruptcy, with a broken and contrite heart. The Lord Jesus is spoken of as the “everlasting Father”. God cares for those who love Him.

John 8:41-44 "Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Rom 9:6-8 "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

Isa 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Luke 15:18 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”

Eph 1:4-6 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

Psa 68:5 "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation."

Isa 63:16 “Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.”

• Jehovahjireh - God Will Provide “Himself” a Lamb. God did not require Abraham to actually sacrifice his “only son… whom thou lovest”, yet God willingly offered up His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to pay the equivalent of eternal Hell for each child of God to be able to be adopted into God's family.

Gen 22:7-8,13-14 "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen."

Heb 11:17-19 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him [Issac figure of Christ] in a figure."

John 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"

2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

• ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father - God provides His Children and meets their worldly needs and spiritual needs. God also grants His children the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of the Father as the giver of every good and perfect gift. The greatest gift of all, which is also the focus of the Lord's Prayer, is the gift of salvation.

Jam 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Matt 6:25-34:"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Luke 11:9-13:"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? "

Gal 4:3-5 "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Rom 8:15-17 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

1 John 3:1-2 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

Eph 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

Eph 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:"

• Whom the Lord Loveth He Chasteneth - Even Gods corrections and chastisements demonstrate His perfect, loving care and concern for each of His beloved children as He conforms them to the image of His dear Son.

Psa 103:13 "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him."

Rom 8:28:"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Heb 12:6-11: "6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Psa 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Isa 64:8 “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”

Rom 9:21 “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”

• "Which art in heaven" - Mankind by nature wants to have a god whom they can see, the sun, an idol, or a river. Even if they become identified with the Christian religion, they may have all kinds of paraphernalia in their place of worship, because they want to see something tangible that they hope relates to God. When we become saved, our relationship to God is a relationship of faith. In faith we believe that which we cannot see. We believe with fervency, abandonment, and trust. Lord Jesus Christ is the express image of the Father. If we sincerely pray, "Our Father who art in heaven," effectively we are saying, "Oh, God, we cannot see you with our physical eye, and we have no idea of how majestic, infinite, and great you are, but we know that you are the one to whom we look for redemption." "Our Father who art in heaven," means that our salvation is rooted in heaven. Our salvation is infinitely more glorious than anything this earth can produce. We have become citizens of heaven, and eternally we will be with God in the new heavens and the new earth.

Acts 7:48-50 [Isa 66:1] "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50Hath not my hand made all these things?"

John 14:9 "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"

Col 2:9 "For in him [Lord Jesus Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

Psa 46:10-11 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

Heb 11:1,8-10,13-16 "1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city [New Jerusalem from Heaven]."

Eph 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:"

1 Chr 29:11 “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”

Bless the LORD, O My Soul, and Forget Not All His Benefits

• Bless the LORD, O My Soul: and All that is within Me, Bless His Holy Name - Psalm 103 says repeatedly in many different ways that God is merciful. He is a God who forgives sins. He is a God who does bestow grace. He is a God who actually does save sinners, sinners who do not deserve it, sinners who could never earn it, to bring salvation to themselves. God in His mercy and grace blesses them with salvation. And God requires everything from us, we are to love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul (Mark 12:29-30). We sometimes do this only halfheartedly. We might even just do God lip service. We might be saying, “Praise the Lord” and “Thank God,” when there are still areas in our life where we are not truly praising the Lord. These two principles of loving God with our entire being and inheriting eternal life are actually very closely related. In fact, we can’t have one without the other. So God commands, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16) and He speaks this to every individual. God’s Name is Holy: “For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name” (Luke 1:49). His very person is Holy. Everything involved with God is absolutely Holy. God is righteous. God is without sin. He is spotless. He is the essence of holiness Himself. We call this Book, the Bible, the Holy Bible because it comes forth from the mouth of God. Since He is Holy, His Word is Holy: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom 7:12). This name alone itself tells us that there is no error in the Bible and can not be any error. The moment that sin or an error or a mistake enters into something, it ceases to be Holy. This is what happened with mankind. When we sinned, we were no longer holy. We became unholy, unclean, spiritually filthy. We became like a leper in God’s sight. Yet Holy God has sent forth His Holy Word, Word in flesh, Lord Jesus Christ to redeem certain individuals to Himself, to gather an elect people whom He will make Holy. We must never lose sight of the astounding fact that the Holy Messiah had to become their very opposite – unholy, impure, and sinful – in order to redeem each believer from sin and its punishment of everlasting Hell (2 Cor 5:21). Here we see the greatest exchange that has ever taken place in this universe. Here we see righteous God, Who is holy, pure, and sinless become unholy, impure, and sinful. Simultaneously, we see unrighteous unsaved man, who by nature is unholy, impure, and sinful become holy, pure, and sinless by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ that is given, or imputed, to him. He will purge them from their sins and from all of their evil deeds and from everything else. He will wash them and make them clean, and they will become Holy (Eph 5:25-27). You cannot be holy when you are committing sin. You might be holy in your heart, if God has saved you, but where is the evidence of this holiness? There should be a desire to do His will, to keep His commandments more and more in our life. God’s “saints” (true believers) shall praise and bless the Lord for His grace, love, and mercy upon them and shall tell others about His glorious salvation, as Psa 145:10-12 declares: “All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.”

Mat 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Eph 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Eze 36:25-27 “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

• Bless The LORD, O My Soul, And Forget NOT All His Benefits - We have to remember what He has done. We have to be put “in remembrance”. This is because we can be such forgetful people. We can easily forget what God has done for us, what He has worked out in our lives. The idea of teaching the Gospel, of bringing the Word of God, is to put us “in remembrance of these things”. So what has God done that we are not to forget? Well, He has taken our sins and He has paid the penalty for those sins, a payment equal to all those whom He came to save spending an eternity in Hell: “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. Right there, is a wonderful starting point for us to begin to bless the Lord, to thank God, to be very grateful for His Gospel, because it is His Gospel that can save people. In Deu 6, God is instructing mothers and fathers to teach God’s commandments diligently to their children, to talk of them “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”. Why so often? Why so repetitive? Teach, teach, remind them, remind them lest they forget. This is language that is really speaking of salvation. As we came out of the kingdom of darkness – ruled over by Satan – typified by Egypt, we were in bondage to our sin. So this is what God would not have us forget: “Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deu 6:12). “Forget not” all the blessings. Have you ever heard the song that says, “Count your blessings, one by one, and see what the Lord has done”? This is a very healthy thing for any of us to do, especially if our soul is cast down. Remember all that He has done. Forget not all His benefits. We have life. We have clothing. We have food. We have shelter. And we have much more than that, we have the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel and His promise of eternal life. We have Bibles, abundantly available. We can thank God for all these benefits, all of these blessings, all of these great spiritual riches that He has provided in Christ.

2 Pet 1:11-12 “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 12Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.”

Eph 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

• Who Forgiveth All Thine Iniquities, Who Healeth All Thy Diseases - This is a wonderful fact that the Bible teaches: God forgives. Only God has the power and ability to forgive sins. Every sin that we have ever done, in thought, word, and deed, all our iniquities can be, potentially, with a snap of a finger, gone, removed, taken away, “cast… into the depths of the sea”, “as far as the east is from the west”, and they can be completely removed from us because Christ made the payment to redeem a people for Himself. He came to save sinners. In doing so, He took upon Himself all the sins of His elect. Psa 130:4 says we have to fear God because He has forgiveness in Him: “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared”. It does not say here that there is tremendous wrath, tremendous anger, or tremendous fury that God be feared, but that there is “forgiveness”. So I go to God – I know that this is where I ought to be going. Yet I am beginning to fear, especially as I am hearing that time is running out and the day of Judgement is right around the corner. It is almost like we are being pushed to the sea like the Israelites in Moses’ day. There they were at the sea and the Egyptians were in hot pursuit. They needed a miracle. The sea had to part, and only God could do that. He alone can open up the sea, as He did historically. He alone can have mercy and save us. But we have to remember that God is saving a “great multitude” of people and that all it takes to qualify is to acknowledge a sinner. “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 Tim 1:15), as God moved the Apostle Paul to say. Actually, this is a faithful saying, worthy of all receiving for every one of us. God will forgive. He will have mercy and “He delights in mercy” (Mic 7:18). God takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Eze 33:11). He will punish them on the last day. He will cast them into Hell because He is the Just Judge, but He does not delight in doing this in the way that He delights in bestowing grace and mercy. God delights to save a sinner. There is rejoicing in heaven “over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10). In Luke 5:18-24 and in Luke 7:36-50, What do you think? What is easier for Jesus? What is easier to do, to say that his sins be forgiven or to cause this man with a palsy to rise up and walk? Of course, it would be much easier for God to heal this man’s physical body. God has power on earth to do great and mighty and wonderful things. He can heal someone’s physical body, but in order for Jesus to say, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee”, what had to happen? Christ had to take those sins upon Himself and He had to bear them upon the Cross and He had to pay the price for all that man’s sins. He had to endure the equivalent of an eternal damnation with awful, awful wrath being poured upon Him, to the point where He was in an agony and He was shaken: “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matt 26:42). We read in the Bible that this was such an awful weight: “Who [Lord Jesus Christ] in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;” (Heb 5:7). So it is much, much, much easier to heal the physical part of man rather than the spiritual need, to say, “Thy sins are forgiven thee”. Christ healed him physically in order for us to know that He can heal spiritually. Jesus healed the blind. He gave hearing to the deaf. He raised the dead. He healed the man with palsy. As Jesus went about healing the sick and the lepers, He was teaching us that He has the ability and the power to forgive sins, that He can bestow grace upon us, that he is compassionate.

Mic 7:18-19 “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 for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Luke 5:18-24 “And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: ... Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.”

• Who Redeemeth Thy Life From Destruction - The word “redeemeth” is a word that means that God has “bought”. He has redeemed a people for Himself. He has redeemed the elect. Where has He redeemed us from? Where were we when God found us? We were on the road to destruction. We were under the wrath of God. We were subject to spend an eternity in Hell (Rom 5:9-10). But He has redeemed us by His blood. Lord Jesus is called “the Prince of Peace” because he ended the spiritual war between God and rebellious mankind. Jesus said He came to bring peace between God and His people in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. The peace that results from salvation is called “peace with God” in Rom 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. True believers have peace with God because of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross that has “reconciled” them to God, as explained in 2 Cor 5:19: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation [the Gospel] ...”. When we have become reconciled to God by salvation, God also gives us the “peace of God”. When we have the “peace of God which passeth all understanding”, our souls can rest quietly with God as we trust completely in Him with every aspect of our lives. Christians are not to be anxious or worried about anything. Not only are we not to be worried, we also learn this from Php 4:6, “... by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”. Col 4:2 instructs us to, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving …”. Col 2:7 explains, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving”. The believer’s life is to be a constant overflowing of thanksgiving for all of God’s daily benefits to him, remembering, the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness. No matter how great our need, His inexhaustible grace is ever sufficient, plenteous, and overflowing as a mighty river. It will never run out and will always be there. As the Christian learns to depend and rely more and more on God and to rest in Him alone, he finds the peace that Isa 26:3 speaks about, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”. He has redeemed our life from going down into the pits of Hell, eternally: “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Psa 103:4). As a result, He has given us a crown, and this is why God uses the figure that believers are prophets, priests, and kings (1 Pet 2:9). He places a royal crown, a spiritual crown, upon the head of each one of His people. This points to the truth that we are a royal priesthood. We are spiritual kings. May God give us His peace if we do not know Him today; and if we do, may He give us a greater and abiding trust to rest in His grace, in His strength, and in His power as He graciously works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Rom 5:9-10 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Rev 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”

1 Pet 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”

Php 4:6-7  “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”