The Messiah's Secret - The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven , hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come your will be done on earth
as in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
During this time we had 'The Lord's Prayer' as a meditation in two ways: pictures and words on the screen and the prayer sung from a CD. Prepared by our Worship Leader.
A frame of another cube.
With each of these boards there was a verse from the Lord’s Prayer and one or two pictures that related to the readings: Hebrews 12: 18-29. Luke 13: 10-17
The
children came to the front of church and described the pictures that they had
stuck on the board and the adult with them related to us all, the pictures with the
Lord’s Prayer and readings. Matthew 6:
9-13
When you look at the
contents of the Lord’s Prayer it embraces our Christian way of life, in our
humanity.
In
the prayer we are touched by the nearness of God, we give thanks as he upholds
the structures that provide the practical requirements for daily living. The
importance of forgiveness. The awareness of our faith being tested and as
children of the kingdom of God applying Jesus’ victory over the devil and his
activities.
1/ Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
The pictures on the board: Moses and the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. A family representing the church. Pictures of people. Universe. Light. Tell the World about Jesus.
God is our Father; he loves us and cares for us. We are allowed to call God, Father or daddy, a very personal term.
The Chorus ‘Abba Father’ beautifully describes our relationship with God our Father.
“Abba Father, let me be Yours and Yours alone, May my will for ever be ever more your own. Never let my heart grow cold, never let me go. Abba Father let me be Yours and Yours alone.” Mission Praise No 3 Dave Bilbrough, Thankyou Music,
*The
Israelites could see the smoke and fire surrounding the upper reaches of Mount
Sinai. God was almighty and awesome and even Moses trembled with fear. Israel’s
relationship with God was reverential.
2/
Give us this day our daily bread.
On
the Israelites wilderness journey God provided manna (bread) daily from heaven.
God feeds daily the birds and all living creatures. Jesus in his prayer asks
God to give us this day our daily bread.
Jesus
is the bread of life; Jesus said that his words were spirit and life
3/
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those
who sin against us.
The
pictures put on the board: God would provide a lamb, Jesus on the cross. The
prodigal son embracing his father. The empty tomb.
God our Father knows that we will fall into sin, the pictures express the forgiveness we received when we first turned to Jesus and the ongoing forgiveness that is ours in Jesus.
We ask Jesus to forgive us, when by our words and actions we fail to walk in
his love. We revere God by keeping his word. Jesus said that if we love him we
should keep his words to us, by loving one another.
*In
the true story of the Israelites Exodus from Egypt they held God in high esteem
and tried to be obedient to his commands. Moses interceded on behalf of the
people and God forgave those who rebelled against him. Exodus 14: 10-16. 17:3-7
In our reading the Israelites before they approached the mountain had to consecrate
(set apart) themselves by washing their clothes. Even then they were held back from going closer to the presence of God.
*Debt to God
The
first-born redeemed for 5 shekels.
“Every
first-born man among your sons you shall redeem.” Exodus 13: 1,13.
“Everything
that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast . . . . nevertheless the
first-born of man you shall redeem, . . . .And their redemption price (at a
month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver,
according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.” Numbers 18:
15, 16.
“And
the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they
brought him (Jesus) up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is
written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called
holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the
law of the Lord, “a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.” Luke 2: 22-24.
*Our Redemption through Jesus’
Passover
The Hebrew
people at the start of their wilderness journey were instructed by God that
only the people who were circumcised could eat the Passover Meal, they were a
sanctified people, set apart by God’s covenant with Abraham, and the many Gentiles
who accompanied them out of Egypt could not participate in the meal. These were
the people who had connections with the descendants of Jacob but were not
circumcised.
This gives
insight into Jesus’ words concerning sanctification.”I have given them thy
word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world. I do not pray that thou should take them out of the world,
but that thou should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth, as
thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for
their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
John 17: 14 – 19.
The words
of Jesus in his prayer spoke of his disciples being in the world but not part
of it.
Jesus -
The Passover the Lamb of God laid down his life for us for the forgiveness of
sins. In repentance and faith Jesus releases us from the bondage of sin and the
devil. The blood of Jesus written on the
door posts and lintels of our hearts sets us free from all that stands against
us.
The Holy
Spirit the sanctifier acting on the word, Jesus. - We are sanctified, set apart for the
righteousness of God dwells in our being; we are in the world but not a part of
it.
“You are
already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I
in you.” John 15: 3, 4.
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you
were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6: 20.
“But you
were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6: 11
*In
the second part of this verse "as we forgive those who sin against us."
Jesus asks us to forgive those things were other people have offended or hurt us. Jesus does not want his church to condemn people and bring them under judgement and punishment.
Jesus asks us to forgive those things were other people have offended or hurt us. Jesus does not want his church to condemn people and bring them under judgement and punishment.
*Moses
was a judge among the people of Israel. The people brought their disputes to
him for his judgement believing that God would speak through him.
The
Jews expected Jesus to be like Moses, but he did not judge people: when the two
brothers came to Jesus to settle their dispute over their inheritance. Jesus
responded by saying, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" Luke
12:13, 14.
The
woman caught in adultery was not condemned by Jesus. He asked those who brought
her before him asking him to make a judgment over her under the Law of Moses. Jesus’
response “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at
her.” John 8: 3-11.
4/ Lead us not into temptation.
The pictures on the board: The cockerel. The hen. The barren landscape. The open door.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that God will discipline us by gently showing and convicting us when we are not listening to his words.
God will test our faith as a result we strengthened and our faith increases.
*The temptation must have been very great to disobey Moses and God. The people of Israel were not to set foot beyond the designated area on the Mount Sinai.
5
Deliver us from evil.
On
this board: The tank relating to war. The boat rescuing merchant seaman taken
hostage at sea. Jesus praying for the lady bound for 18 years with the spirit
of infirmity. The life changing experience of the cross and that’s expressed
with the caterpillar being changed into a butterfly.
In
our gospel reading the lady had been bound by Satan for 18 years and Jesus
healed her releasing her from the spirit of infirmity.
The
number 18 is mentioned twice in these verses 10 - 17.
The significance of the number 18
The significance of the number 18
18
made up of 3 sixes 666.
666
are associated with Satan’s activities in the Bible.
At the beginning of Chapter 13: 4 Jesus said, "Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worst offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." 18 people of Jerusalem who were killed when the tower fell on them, unless they repented
The 18 who were killed when the tower fell on them, came under judgement because of Israel's sin. The fig tree that bore no fruit, again symbolized Israel's sin. The tree was given a reprieve for a year hoping that the gardener's tender loving care would help it to produce fruit
At the beginning of Chapter 13: 4 Jesus said, "Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worst offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." 18 people of Jerusalem who were killed when the tower fell on them, unless they repented
The 18 who were killed when the tower fell on them, came under judgement because of Israel's sin. The fig tree that bore no fruit, again symbolized Israel's sin. The tree was given a reprieve for a year hoping that the gardener's tender loving care would help it to produce fruit
In
Jesus’ compassion he gave them the sign of Israel’s reprieve when he released
the woman from Satan’s bondage with the spirit of infirmity. It also is
prophetic of the restoration of Israel in the last days when Jesus returns.
Applying Jesus’
victory over the devil and his activities.
The
Lord’s Prayer has been used as a sword in releasing a person from Satan’s
afflictions and bondage.
The
power of forgiveness in bringing healing to soul and body, the prayer of
deliverance from the spiritual activities in peoples’ lives and homes. Truly an
amazing prayer.
6/
For the kingdom the power, and the glory
are yours now and forever. Amen.
This
last sentence was added between 1st and 2nd Century. The
church calls it the ‘Doxology’ a sentence of praise. The King James Bible
includes this last sentence in Matthew 6: 13.
The
pictures express worship and mission. People singing and praising God. A
passport. A disciple in conversation with a man pointing the way to find Jesus.
Everything
on the board includes what the Church is about: worship, praise, healing and
communicating the gospel so that people come to know Jesus by having faith in
him.
The churches praise in this Doxology
re-enforces that the kingdom message, that there is great celebration in heaven
over each person who accepts Jesus as their Saviour.
Good news
On
Wednesday I heard from my sister who worships at a Pentecostal Church in
Manchester that a revival has begun in South Wales. The outpouring began in
April of this year in the Victory
Church, Cwmbran, Wales.
