Introduction: Are you ready to learn more about communicating with God? Last week we studied several Bible passages about prayer, including Jesus’ warning in Matthew 6 about praying in public for the purpose of impressing others. He also warned about using “empty phrases” and many words in prayer on the mistaken assumption that “more is more” when it comes to prayer. Jesus also told us that God knows what we need before we ask. Our Lord moves next in Matthew 6 to discussing the Lord’s Prayer. Come with me on a deep dive into Jesus’ model for prayer!

I. The Lord’s Prayer Introduction

A. Read Matthew 6:9. Before we get into the specific subjects in Jesus’ prayer, we should discuss how we would use His model prayer. Jesus says, “Pray like this,” followed by His model prayer. What do you think He means by “like this?” (Jesus has just said in Matthew 6:8 do not pray like “them,” meaning hypocrites in the synagogues and the “many-words” Gentiles. Neither of those approaches are correct. Jesus now gives the correct approach to prayer.)

1. What else do you think Jesus means by using the word “like,” which in the Greek means “in this fashion?” Do you think we should memorize Jesus’ prayer and repeat it?
2. If we repeat Jesus’ model prayer, what keeps it from becoming the kind of empty repetition Jesus warned against?

a. Would that kind of prayer be very conversational? (No. But it would keep us from getting off the proper topics.)

B. Luke chapter 11 contains a shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer. Read Luke 11:2. Here, Jesus uses a different word than “like.” The ESV and KJV translate it, “say.” The underlying Greek, according to Strong’s, can refer to a “systematic or set discourse.” Does that add more clarity and suggest that we should repeat the prayer word for word?

C. Consider again that Matthew 6:9 says pray “like” to at least mean “unlike” the hypocrites and pagans. In law school we teach students to have a “roadmap” when they are in a competition appellate argument. Is Jesus giving us a roadmap? (The incorrect examples involved praying to impress others. Or praying with the view that God has no idea of your situation. So, “yes,” I think this is at least a roadmap.)

II. The Lord’s Prayer Detail

A. Read again Matthew 6:9. What is the first element of Jesus’ model prayer? (To give glory to God.)

1. Let’s continue our discussion of how to use Jesus’ model. If Jesus was giving us a roadmap, would it be more likely that He would say, “Start out by praising God?”
2. Are the words Jesus uses a rational way to approach the God of the Universe? (Absolutely. When we discussed recitation versus roadmap, I did not mean to suggest that reciting Jesus’ words is wrong. I suspect that at some level Jesus intended us to recite His prayer. I just don’t think mere recitation is the fullest or most mature understanding of what Jesus is teaching us. I like the roadmap approach the best. For example, I think a few more words praising God is a great idea.)

B. Read Matthew 6:10. Compare Luke 11:2. What is common to both these verses? (Jesus tells us to pray for His return.)

1. What is different? (Luke 11:2 does not contain a request that God’s will be done on earth.)

a. Do you have any idea why not? (If you are looking for the return and rule of Jesus, it would make sense for you to want His will to rule your current surroundings. You would want His rule to be the rule of your life.)

C. Read Matthew 6:11-12. Why do you think Jesus encourages us to pray for our own needs before we confess our sins? (Jesus signals that our daily needs matter to Him. The order is striking: He invites us to ask for needs before forgiveness. That does not mean sin is unimportant, but God cares about the whole of our lives. It took me a long time to understand this. For decades, the first subject of my prayer was to ask for forgiveness of my sins. I wanted to start with a clean slate!)

1. Can you explain why God puts a priority on our needs rather than on our transgression of His law?
2. What condition is placed on the forgiveness of our sins? (That we forgive those who sin against us. This is such an important topic that we will return to this.)

D. Read Matthew 6:13 and Luke 11:4. Understanding this request is a challenge. Read James 1:13. James tells us that God does not tempt us. How then should we understand Jesus’ request that we not be led by God into temptation? (The best explanation I can find is that Jesus is praying about times of testing for us. Satan and his helpers are constantly trying to encourage us to fall. This prayer asks God to keep us out of difficult situations. That understanding fits with the rest of the verse in Matthew 6:13 which asks for deliverance from evil.)

E. Read Matthew 6:14-15. Have we left the Lord’s Prayer? (I think so. Jesus is now commenting on one aspect of His prayer, which is our request for forgiveness. Next, let’s get into a more detailed discussion of our obligation to forgive others.)

III. Forgiving Others

A. Read Luke 11:4. How does Jesus approach the forgiveness issue here? (This assumes that we forgive others. We have a forgiving attitude.)

B. Luke 11 does not reinforce the necessity of forgiving others as a prerequisite for our forgiveness that we find in Matthew 6:14-15. Why do you think Jesus emphasizes the need for us to forgive?

1. Matthew 6:12 speaks of forgiveness of “debts,” while Luke 11:4 refers to our “sins” being forgiven. Luke 11:4 continues that we forgive “everyone indebted to us.” Should we be looking at sins and debts as two different things? (Only God can forgive sins. Because we cannot forgive sins, this is teaching us that we need to have a generally forgiving attitude, no matter the nature of what is owed to us.)
2. One of the “laws” of Bible-based emotional intelligence that I teach to my law school students is that we should prize, not detest, criticism because it can teach us important lessons. Is learning to receive criticism without resentment one practical step toward the forgiving spirit Jesus is describing? (Yes. Some of this is difficult, right?)

IV. God’s Answers to Prayer

A. Look once more at Matthew 6:10. It includes the request that God’s will be done. Must our prayers be in accord with God’s will? (Read 1 John 5:14. It tells us that God favorably answers prayers that accord with His will.)

1. If a prayer is not answered, is it because it was not in accord with God’s will? (Not necessarily. A prayer may be delayed, answered differently than we expected, or denied because God has something better in mind.)
2. Would you want an answer to prayer that was not in accord with God’s will?

B. Read Ephesians 3:20-21. When we think about praying consistent with God’s will, we probably think this is a limitation on prayer. What does this text tell us about God’s will? (That His will is to do more than we think to ask of Him. We need to consider the power that God brings to our prayers.)

C. Read Luke 11:9-13. What should we expect from God in answer to our prayers? (He gives us good things. He does not give us bad things when we pray.)

1. What is the best gift that God can give us in answer to our prayers? (The Holy Spirit.)

V. God’s Context

A. Read Matthew 18:23-26. How big a debt is this? (John MacArthur reports that a talent “was the largest denomination of currency,” and “ten thousand” would be understood to be incalculably large. This was a huge sum!)

B. Read Matthew 18:27. How has this debtor’s life changed? Has the life of his family changed?

C. Read Matthew 18:28-30. A hundred denarii is about three months’ pay. What is your reaction to this story?

1. Is our reaction to the unforgiving servant a small picture of how God views us when we refuse to forgive others, even though Jesus gave His life to forgive us?

D. Friend, Jesus has given us a pattern for talking to Him. While I think simple recitation of the model prayer is fine, I don’t think it is our goal. Instead, each point made by Jesus is a subject that we should cover in our conversations with Him. Since God already knows what we need, mere recitation without thought is a missed opportunity to commune with the Great God of Heaven! Why not take advantage of this opportunity, starting right now?

VI. Next week: Having Faith.

Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

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