THE LORD'S
PRAYER
Matthew 6:9-13
(continued)
What
do we Pray for in the Fifth Petition?
In
the Fifth Petition, (which is, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors,) we acknowledge that we and all others are guilty
both of original and actual sin, and thereby become debtors to the
justice of God. Neither we, nor any other creature, can make the least
satisfaction for that debt: "What then? Are we better than
they? No, in no v6se: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles,
that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that
seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one...
That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God..." (Roman 3:9-22) - "And when he had begun to
reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents.
But 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." (Matthew 18:24-25) - "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, 0 Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130:3-4)
We pray for ourselves and others, that God of his free grace would
through the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, apprehended and
applied by faith, acquit us both from the guilt and punishment of
sin: "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare,
I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and
the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:24-26)
"Almost all things are by the law purged with blood~ andwrithout
shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22)
... that God would accept us in his Beloved: "To the praise
of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
Beloved: In whom we have redemption through his blood. the forgiveness
of sins..." (Ephesians 1:6)
... that God would continue his favour and grace to us: "Grace
and peace be mjultiplied unto you through the knowledge of God. and
of Jesus our Lord." (2 Peter 1:2)
... that God would pardon our daily failings: "Take with
you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him. Take away all iniquity,
and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips."
(Hosea 14:2) - "0 Lord, though our iniquities testify against
us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against thee." (Jer. 14:7)
... that God would fill us with peace and joy, in giving us daily
more and more assurance of forgiveness: "NowtheGod of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in
hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13)
- "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that
the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my
sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart,
0 God and renew a right spirit within me. Restore unto me the joy
of thy salvation: and uphold me with thy free spirit." (Psalm
51:7-12) This we are emboldened to ask, and encouraged to expect,
when we have this testimony in ourselves, that we from the heart forgive
others their offences: "And forgive us our sins. for we also
forgive every one that is indebted to us." (Luke 11:4) - "For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses. neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14) - "So
likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your
hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." (Matthew
18:3 5)
What
do we Pray for in the Sixth Petition?
In
the Sixth Petition, (which is, And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,) we acknowledge that the most wise, righteous,
and gracious God, for divers holy and just ends, may so order things,
that we may be assaulted, foiled, and for a time led captive by temptations:
"Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes
of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done
in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that
was in his heart." (2 Chronicles 32:31)
We acknowledge that Satan is ready to powerfully draw us aside
and ensnare us: "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked
David to number Israel." (1 Chronicles 2 1: 1)
... that the world is ready to ensnare us: "Take heed
to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon
you unawares." (Luke 21:34) - "And the cares of this wo
rld, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things
entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruiffid. " (Mark
4:19) - "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed." (James 1: 14)
... that we, even after the pardon of our sins, are still corrupt:
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would" (Galatians 5:17)
... that we are still weak and wanting in watchfulness: "Watch
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41)
... that because of this we are subject to be tempted, and forward
to expose ourselves to temptations: "Now Peter sat without
in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast
with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all. saying, I know
not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another
maid saw him. and said unto them that were there.. This fellow was
also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath. I do
not know the man." (Matthew 26:69-72),- "But when Peter
was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to
be blamed - For before that certain came from James, he did eat with
the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew, and separated
himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other
Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was
carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked
not uprightly, according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter..."
(Galatians 2:11-14) - Also 2 Chronicles 18:3. 19:2.
We are also unable and unwilling to resist temptations, to recover
out of them, and to improve them: "But I see another law
in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O, wretched
man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death."
(Romans 7:23-24)
- "Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?" (1 Chronicles
21:1-4)
- "Thou hast done foolishly..." (2 Chronicles 21:1-10).
We are worthy to be left under the power of them: "But
my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of
me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked
in their own counsels." (Psalm 81:11-12)
We pray that God would over-rule the world and all in it: "I
pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil." (John 17:15)
... that God would subdue the flesh: "Create in me a clean
heart, 0 God-, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 5
1: 10)
- "Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have
dominion over me. " (Psalm 119:13 3)
... that God would restrain Satan: "Lest I should be exalted
above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet
me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought
the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." (2 Corinthians
12:7-8)
... that God would order all things: "Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall. 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 away to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
(I Corinthians 10: 12-13)
... that God would bestow and bless all means of grace: "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- Make you perfect in every good work to do his will., working
in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ..."
(Hebrews 13:20-2 1)
... that God may quicken us to watchfulness in using the means
of grace, that we and all his people may by his providence be kept
from being tempted to sin: "Watch and pray, that ye enter
not into temptation." (Matthew 26:41) -"Keep back thy servant
also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me: then
shall I be upright. and I shall be innocent from the great transgression."
(Psalm 19:13)
... that if we are tempted, God, by his Spirit may powerfully support
and enable us to stand in the hour of temptation: "For this
cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of
whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named
- That he would grant you. according to the riches of his glory, to
be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ
may dwell in your hearts by faith." (Ephesians 3:14-17) - "To
the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before
God, even our Fader, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all'
his saints." (I Thessalonians 3:13) - "Now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling,. and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." (Jude 24).
... that when we have fallen, God would raise us up again and let
us recover out of it: "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.
and uphold me with thy free Spirit." (Psalm 51:12) ... that we
may be sanctified and improved by it: "Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about.
seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing
that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are
in the world But the God of all grace. who hath called us unto his
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ve have suffered a while,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Peter
5:8-10)
... that our sanctification and salvation may be perfected:
"Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear
approved. but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be
as reprobates. For we are glad when we are weak and ye are strong:
and this also we wish, even your perfection." (2 Corinthians
13:7-9)
... that Satan may be trodden under our feet: "The God
of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." (Romans
16:20) - "And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee,
0 Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is
not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" (Zechariah 3:2) -
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have
you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."
(Luke 22:31-32)
We pray that we be fully freed from sin, temptation, and all evil,
for ever: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of
the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."
(John 17:15) "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly: and
I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thess. 5:23)
What
does the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer teach us?
The
conclusion of the Lord's prayer, (which is, For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.) teaches us to enforce
our petitions with arguments (Romans 15:30), which are to be
taken, not from any worthiness in ourselves, or in any other creature,
but from God (Daniel 9:4-19); and with our prayers to join
praises (Philippians 4:6). ascribing to God alone eternal sovereignty,
omnipotency, and glorious excellency (I Chronicles 29:10-12);
in regard whereof, as he is able and willing to help us (Ephesians
3:20-2 1, Luke 11: 13). so we by faith are emboldened to plead
with him that he would (2 Chronicles 20:6-11), and quietly
to rely upon him, that he will fulfil our requests (2 Chronicles
14:11). And, to testify this our desire and assurance, we say,
Amen. (I Corinthians 14:16. Revelation 22:20-21)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
From the
Westminster Larger Catechism
