Hi all,
"Our Father in heaven, your name is holy. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven", from The Lord's Prayer of Luke 11:2. "Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is the subject of the rest of the prayer. The whole motive of the Lord's Prayer is for the Father's will being done in our lives through the Father's will being done in us.
The Lord's prayer is more of a statement than a request
The verbs of The Lord's Prayer were written in the aorist text, which means they are written as completed tasks, or statements. Surrounding those verbs it was written in the imperative, meaning as a request. Today, we pray the prayer only as a request, which changes what Jesus actually said.
Look at what Jesus said and what tense He used:
"Holy is your name" is aorist imperative, meaning an earnest, heart-felt statement coupled with a burning desire to also be holy.
"Your kingdom come, your will be done" is aorist imperative, meaning a firm, heart-felt statement reflecting the earnest heart-cry of the disciple who wants His will first and foremost in their life. These opening statements reflect a person praying with the intensity that reflects their unquenchable zeal for God's will to be done in their life.
"Your will be done" uses the same - reflecting that earnest desire on the part of the disciple who has completely surrendered their will to His. Have you ever been so desperate for God that you make statements to the Father about your heart and love for Him while also crying out for more at the same time? That's this:Your will is done in my life Father let your kingdom come into my life even more - reflecting a burning zeal for God's will and ways in our lives.
"Give us this day our daily bread" is both aorist and imperative, meaning in English it is a statement with a view towards a continual act of fulfillment. We might say in English:You give us our bread, daily." This agrees with Jesus' teaching of Matthew 6:24-34 where Jesus said Gentiles (non covenant people) search for food, clothing and a roof over their head, whereas when we seek the Father and His righteousness, these things are added to us by Him (Father). He DOES provide daily. But 'according to your faith be it unto you'. If you are weak in faith, you may not see His provision, and have to live miracle to miracle. It is far better to live IN miracles as part of everyday life.
This agrees with II Peter 1:3-4 which states in part:"...all things which pertain to life and godliness have been provided through knowing Jesus Christ our Lord." I have used this SO many times when something happens that surprised me - an emergency, an unexpected bill - and immediately stated:"Father, reveal your provision! II Peter 1:3-4 says everything pertaining to life and godliness HAVE BEEN provided by you, so Father, reveal your provision!" Living like this means rest, for you know what caught you by surprise has not caught Him by surprise, and you gain a child-like excitement waiting to see how He (Father) has provided.
And yes, in intense moments I have said it just like that to Him. He and Jesus are the ones who said in the Lord's Prayer and through Peter that all things are provided, so I am when times are intense, that bold. Other times, like with a bill I'm hit with unexpectedly, it is not as intense, almost reflective:"Father, this didn't catch you by surprise but it sure did me. How have you paid for it? Please reveal your provision, your way to meet this need." In a humble, reflective attitude, searching in my mind my own Plan A, Plan B and so on, but determined to see His plan fulfilled.
"Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who owe us" is the same:"You forgive us our sins according to us forgiving those who owe us." The Greek word translated 'owe' or 'debt' is not in first use about sin, though in context it is that, but also much more. Jesus said we are to state the Father forgives us our sins while we forgive those who owe us - that includes sin, but includes those emotional 'I'm sorry's' we look for, those apologies, those recognitions from those who wronged us that tells us they realize the damage they did. The word 'owe' is all that in Jesus' statement. "You forgive us our sins while we forgive all who owe us anything." That doesn't mean cancel financial debt as that wasn't the context, but emotional debt, an acknowledgment of them doing wrong to us debt, is the context. And again, it is written in the aorist, meaning a statement of fact - we do indeed have our sins forgiven by the Father for we also forgive those who owe us.
"Lead us not into temptation" and "deliver us from evil" are once again written in the aorist, meaning as statements. This agrees with the rest of the New Testament, that the Father does not tempt us with evil for He is not tempted with evil, as James 1:13 states. He does deliver us from evil, as I Corinthians 10:13 says, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Father raises a standard so we are not tested above what we are able to handle, and makes a way of escape. "You do not lead us into temptation and you do deliver us from evil" reflects a more accurate translation of the aorist-imperative grammar here.
Matthew 6:9-13 also records The Lord's Prayer, and he was led to add the closing line:
"For yours is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever. Amen." This too is aorist (as a statement) as reflected in the accurate translation of this sentence. It is not a request that it is the Father's kingdom, but a statement, emphatic statement. It is emphatic that it is the Father's kingdom, the Father's glory and the Father's power. The word 'amen' means "steadfast" in Hebrew (apeitheia). The Greek 'amen' means steadfast, firm, trustworthy. Sometimes it is translated 'so be it'. I like 'trustworthy' as in, these statements of The Lord's Prayer are trustworthy. That's how Jesus ended His instruction.
My point in all this detail is that this prayer pattern is about the Father's will being done on earth, expressed first in our lives. Not the rapture. Not when the moon is red or the calendar's line up. But now, the Father's will and kingdom done in us, now. The awareness of our citizenship of heaven and therefore our immediate home-going upon death is always in our minds, but first and foremost is the Father's will being done in our lives right now on earth.
Some believers are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.
It is fun to speculate, and the Internet feeds that desire (lust) to know the latest news from heaven. Part of that is completely normal human nature, for even the Old Testament prophets having just promises of the coming salvation, sought diligently for more information. (I Peter 1:9-12)
But when that desire for more information about being taken to heaven gets out of balance with our Prime Directive of the Father's will being done on earth in us daily, then it is a problem. As long as we are alive we are to live for the Father's kingdom-will being done in earth. Yes, we live with the certainty that Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us, but no where does anything in the New Testament teach that should be our focus.
What is taught is the discipleship process of ever learning, ever growing, ever becoming more Christ-like in the here and now. If you read the gospels, the bulk of Jesus' teaching was about how to live out God's kingdom on earth by walking in love backed by strong moral and spiritual backbone.
Jesus started The Lord's Prayer saying:"Father in heaven, holy is your name." We will start with holiness next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
"Our Father in heaven, your name is holy. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven", from The Lord's Prayer of Luke 11:2. "Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is the subject of the rest of the prayer. The whole motive of the Lord's Prayer is for the Father's will being done in our lives through the Father's will being done in us.
The Lord's prayer is more of a statement than a request
The verbs of The Lord's Prayer were written in the aorist text, which means they are written as completed tasks, or statements. Surrounding those verbs it was written in the imperative, meaning as a request. Today, we pray the prayer only as a request, which changes what Jesus actually said.
Look at what Jesus said and what tense He used:
"Holy is your name" is aorist imperative, meaning an earnest, heart-felt statement coupled with a burning desire to also be holy.
"Your kingdom come, your will be done" is aorist imperative, meaning a firm, heart-felt statement reflecting the earnest heart-cry of the disciple who wants His will first and foremost in their life. These opening statements reflect a person praying with the intensity that reflects their unquenchable zeal for God's will to be done in their life.
"Your will be done" uses the same - reflecting that earnest desire on the part of the disciple who has completely surrendered their will to His. Have you ever been so desperate for God that you make statements to the Father about your heart and love for Him while also crying out for more at the same time? That's this:Your will is done in my life Father let your kingdom come into my life even more - reflecting a burning zeal for God's will and ways in our lives.
"Give us this day our daily bread" is both aorist and imperative, meaning in English it is a statement with a view towards a continual act of fulfillment. We might say in English:You give us our bread, daily." This agrees with Jesus' teaching of Matthew 6:24-34 where Jesus said Gentiles (non covenant people) search for food, clothing and a roof over their head, whereas when we seek the Father and His righteousness, these things are added to us by Him (Father). He DOES provide daily. But 'according to your faith be it unto you'. If you are weak in faith, you may not see His provision, and have to live miracle to miracle. It is far better to live IN miracles as part of everyday life.
This agrees with II Peter 1:3-4 which states in part:"...all things which pertain to life and godliness have been provided through knowing Jesus Christ our Lord." I have used this SO many times when something happens that surprised me - an emergency, an unexpected bill - and immediately stated:"Father, reveal your provision! II Peter 1:3-4 says everything pertaining to life and godliness HAVE BEEN provided by you, so Father, reveal your provision!" Living like this means rest, for you know what caught you by surprise has not caught Him by surprise, and you gain a child-like excitement waiting to see how He (Father) has provided.
And yes, in intense moments I have said it just like that to Him. He and Jesus are the ones who said in the Lord's Prayer and through Peter that all things are provided, so I am when times are intense, that bold. Other times, like with a bill I'm hit with unexpectedly, it is not as intense, almost reflective:"Father, this didn't catch you by surprise but it sure did me. How have you paid for it? Please reveal your provision, your way to meet this need." In a humble, reflective attitude, searching in my mind my own Plan A, Plan B and so on, but determined to see His plan fulfilled.
"Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who owe us" is the same:"You forgive us our sins according to us forgiving those who owe us." The Greek word translated 'owe' or 'debt' is not in first use about sin, though in context it is that, but also much more. Jesus said we are to state the Father forgives us our sins while we forgive those who owe us - that includes sin, but includes those emotional 'I'm sorry's' we look for, those apologies, those recognitions from those who wronged us that tells us they realize the damage they did. The word 'owe' is all that in Jesus' statement. "You forgive us our sins while we forgive all who owe us anything." That doesn't mean cancel financial debt as that wasn't the context, but emotional debt, an acknowledgment of them doing wrong to us debt, is the context. And again, it is written in the aorist, meaning a statement of fact - we do indeed have our sins forgiven by the Father for we also forgive those who owe us.
"Lead us not into temptation" and "deliver us from evil" are once again written in the aorist, meaning as statements. This agrees with the rest of the New Testament, that the Father does not tempt us with evil for He is not tempted with evil, as James 1:13 states. He does deliver us from evil, as I Corinthians 10:13 says, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Father raises a standard so we are not tested above what we are able to handle, and makes a way of escape. "You do not lead us into temptation and you do deliver us from evil" reflects a more accurate translation of the aorist-imperative grammar here.
Matthew 6:9-13 also records The Lord's Prayer, and he was led to add the closing line:
"For yours is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever. Amen." This too is aorist (as a statement) as reflected in the accurate translation of this sentence. It is not a request that it is the Father's kingdom, but a statement, emphatic statement. It is emphatic that it is the Father's kingdom, the Father's glory and the Father's power. The word 'amen' means "steadfast" in Hebrew (apeitheia). The Greek 'amen' means steadfast, firm, trustworthy. Sometimes it is translated 'so be it'. I like 'trustworthy' as in, these statements of The Lord's Prayer are trustworthy. That's how Jesus ended His instruction.
My point in all this detail is that this prayer pattern is about the Father's will being done on earth, expressed first in our lives. Not the rapture. Not when the moon is red or the calendar's line up. But now, the Father's will and kingdom done in us, now. The awareness of our citizenship of heaven and therefore our immediate home-going upon death is always in our minds, but first and foremost is the Father's will being done in our lives right now on earth.
Some believers are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.
It is fun to speculate, and the Internet feeds that desire (lust) to know the latest news from heaven. Part of that is completely normal human nature, for even the Old Testament prophets having just promises of the coming salvation, sought diligently for more information. (I Peter 1:9-12)
But when that desire for more information about being taken to heaven gets out of balance with our Prime Directive of the Father's will being done on earth in us daily, then it is a problem. As long as we are alive we are to live for the Father's kingdom-will being done in earth. Yes, we live with the certainty that Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us, but no where does anything in the New Testament teach that should be our focus.
What is taught is the discipleship process of ever learning, ever growing, ever becoming more Christ-like in the here and now. If you read the gospels, the bulk of Jesus' teaching was about how to live out God's kingdom on earth by walking in love backed by strong moral and spiritual backbone.
Jesus started The Lord's Prayer saying:"Father in heaven, holy is your name." We will start with holiness next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
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