Lesson
12: Conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer
Our
Father in heaven,
Hallowed
be your name;
Your
kingdom come;
Your
will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread;
And
forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors;
And
do not lead us into temptation,
But
deliver us from the evil.
For
yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:9-15
[9] Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy. [10] Let your Kingdom come. Let your will
be done, as in heaven, so on earth. [11] Give us today our daily
bread. [12] Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
[13] Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
[14] “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. [15] But if you don’t forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The Main
Points for This Lesson:
God's children pray
to their Father in heaven. Jesus taught his disciples about prayer.
Prayer may be many things. It can be presenting our petitions or
requests to God; casting all our anxieties upon him; giving of thanks
to him; confession of sins; etc. In all that prayer can be, it must
be a drawing near to God in humility. In Matthew 6:5-6, Jesus warns
us against using prayer as a tool for our own glory, and exhorts us
to use prayer as God intends, as a holy communion between the Father
and his children.
Jesus also taught us that prayer does not need to be fancy or long.
We should pray with understanding. That is, we should understand and
mean what we pray. Prayer is not magical (and often meaningless)
words. Nor is prayer a meaningless repetition of words or petitions,
as though God would reward us if we said a prayer 100 times in a row.
In our prayers, we must honor God as the almighty maker of heaven and
earth and also as our Father who knows what we need before we ask
him.
In teaching about
prayer, Jesus taught his disciples a prayer to pray. This prayer is
often called “The Lord's Prayer,” or “The Our Father.” While
we can and should pray in many ways and about many things, the Lord's
Prayer is important and should be used by God's children as part of
their prayers.
This prayer is important because it comes from God through his Son
and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Not only was it given to us by our Lord,
but he also commands us to pray in this way (Matthew 6:9).
The Lord's Prayer instructs us both how to pray and how to live. The
apostle John wrote of the importance of asking according to God's
will, saying that such petitions will be heard by God. This prayer,
as it comes from God, teaches us God's will. It shows us what is
important to God, and so shows us the things for which we should be
praying. In doing this, it also shows us how we should be living,
what should be most important in our lives, what our goals should be,
and how we should live to reach those goals. How we pray and how we
live do go and must go hand in hand. God tells us in his word that
the prayer (a prayer in keeping with God's will) of someone living
contrary to that petition is an abomination to him (Proverbs 15:8).
On the other hand, the prayer of one who prays while living according
to God's will is a delight to God.
The Lord's Prayer
can be used when praying alone, and can be used when praying with
others. The Lord's prayer, while including our own needs, by its very
words, teaches us to look outward. We see our Father in heaven and
his name, kingdom and will. We look not just for my own daily bread
and needs, but also for the daily bread of all God's children. And so
with forgiveness and deliverance. We learn to ask not for “me,”
but for “us.” Thus, in the Lord's prayer we see Jesus'
commandment that we love one another (John 13:34).
Jesus concluded his
teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:5-15 with important words about
forgiveness. Of all the things he could have mentioned, Jesus makes
plain to us that forgiving others is a condition of God forgiving us.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew
6:14-15). Our Father in heaven shows us that it is of great
importance to him that his children not tolerate one another, but
that they love one another from the heart (1 Peter 1:22), forgiving
each other. He shows us that mercy triumphs over judgment, and so we
must show mercy to others if we desire mercy to lead at our own
judgment.
Suggestions:
Open each lesson
with prayer for the teacher and the students and this class time.
Begin by reminding
the children that we are learning about the Lord's Prayer, and that
this lesson is the concluding (or last) lesson on the Lord's Prayer.
Read through Matthew
6:5-15 in sections (5-6, 7-8, 9-13, 14-15) with the children. Ask
them simple questions as you read through these verses with them. ie.
In vv5-6: What was the problem with the people praying? What should
they do instead? In vv7-8: How shouldn't we pray? How should we pray?
In vv9-13: What things should we pray for or pray about according to
these verses? Who should we pray for? In vv14-15: What does Jesus say
about forgiveness? What should you do when someone who hurt you says
they are sorry?
Besides such
questions and discussion as above, you could also ask them if they
can think of Bible stories related to prayer in general or to
specific thoughts in Matthew 6:5-15.
Encourage the
children to use or continue using the Lord's prayer at home and
elsewhere, both by themselves and with their family.
If
you are parents at home teaching this to your children, then consider
how you can incorporate the Lord's Prayer into your daily life with
your family in prayer and worship.
Close the lesson
with prayer related to the subject and the students. Pray the Lord's
Prayer together.
Stories:
Matthew 6:5-15
[5] “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they
love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the
streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you,
they have received their reward. [6] But you, when you pray, enter
into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father
who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you
openly. [7] In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles
do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
[8] Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things
you need, before you ask him. [9] Pray like this: ‘Our Father in
heaven, may your name be kept holy. [10] Let your Kingdom come. Let
your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. [11] Give us today our
daily bread. [12] Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our
debtors. [13] Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the
evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.’ [14] “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. [15] But if you don’t
forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.
More Stories
and Examples:
Luke 11:1-13
[1] When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples
said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his
disciples.” [2] He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our
Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. [3] Give us day
by day our daily bread. [4] Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves
also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” [5] He said to
them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell
him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, [6] for a friend of
mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before
him,’ [7] and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother
me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t
get up and give it to you’? [8] I tell you, although he will not
rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his
persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs. [9] “I
tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and
you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. [10] For
everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it
will be opened. [11] “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for
bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t
give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? [12] Or if he asks for
an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he? [13] If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
him?”
Other Verses:
Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the
prayer of the upright is his delight.
John 13:34-35
[34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. [35] By
this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love
for one another.”
James 2:12-13
[12] So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of
freedom. [13] For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no
mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
1 Peter 1:22-23
[22] Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the
truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one
another from the heart fervently: [23] having been born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of
God, which lives and remains forever.
1 John 5:14-15
[14] This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we
ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. [15] And if
we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions which we have asked of him.
Forgiving
and Forgiveness
Proverbs 21:13
Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out,
but shall not be heard.
Mark 11:22-26
[22] Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. [23] For most
certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up
and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but
believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he
says. [24] Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask
for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.
[25] Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything
against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also
forgive you your transgressions. [26] But if you do not forgive,
neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
Ephesians 4:30-32
[30] Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. [31] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. [32] And
be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just
as God also in Christ forgave you.
Colossians
3:12-13 [12] Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and
beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and
perseverance; [13] bearing with one another, and forgiving each
other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave
you, so you also do.
