The Our Father Prayer Explained

Understanding what you are doing is the key.

Welcome today, come in. Good to see ya..
Congregation arrives...
Please stand...
Congregation stands...
"Goodwill to you, goodwill to me, goodwill to all, peace on earth. Amen." "God be with you."
Congregation "Also with you."
Please be seated.
Today I want to talk about the Church's teachings on Women wearing Pants. In 1860, our great leader, Father Notta Real Person, said Women need to honor their Husbands and God. They shall wear dresses and cover their heads. Men should wear trousers, and honor their Wives. So saith the Lord. Please Stand...
Congregation Stands...
"Goodwill to you, goodwill to me, goodwill to all, peace on earth. Amen." "God be with you."
Congregation "Also with you."
Congregation sits.
I understand that we have gotten away from this traditional teachings of Father Person, and society may see things differently. But we know that God doesn't care about society. If you follow what the Church says on this manor, you will be just fine. You are all absolved of your Sins. May you have a great week.
Congregation stands...
"Goodwill to you, goodwill to me, goodwill to all, peace on earth. Amen." "God be with you."
Congregation "Also with you."
Congregation leaves, shaking hands on the way out....
Back to Football, BBQs, Shopping, life in general...Until next week..

What just happened? "What? What do you mean? I went to Church." Really? "Of course. I went to Church and learned about God, and I feel good. I was forgiven for my Sins. I prayed. What do you mean what just happened?" What did you actually learn? What Bible passage did you actually read? You Prayed? "Yes of course I prayed. Grace to you, grace to me, grace to all, peace on earth. Amen. What are you not getting here? I'm a good person. I go to Church every week."

The sad truth is, this is many people today. This is many Churches today. You did not learn anything. You did not get forgiven for Sins that you never confessed. You did not really Pray. All you did was mindlessly repeat what the Leader of the Church said. You may feel better about yourself, but you accomplished nothing.

This is what many Churches have turned the "Our Father" Prayer into. Vain repetitions. Part of the tradition. But they fail to actually teach you what it actually means. Lets look at the "Our Father" Prayer. What does it mean? Did Jesus actually give it to us? Did He actually tell us to Pray it? You may be surprised.

First, Jesus never told us to Pray, the "Our Father" Prayer. You read correctly. He never told us to Pray the "Our Father" Prayer. As a matter of fact, He told us NOT to. Don't believe me?

Matthew 6:

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

What did Jesus just say? Do not do things to be glorified by man. It has nothing to do with man. If you go down to inner city anywhere and feed the homeless, do not bring a news crew with ya. When you tithe, do not brag about it. When you Pray, do so in private.

Then He said this "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." He goes on to say, not, Pray this Prayer, but "After this manner therefore pray ye." 

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Now in the above example of Church, substitute the "Goodwill Prayer" with the "Our Father" Prayer. I have been in Churches, at Funerals, even at Weddings, when I have seen this done. Congregation stands, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

In some cases, for reasons I have no idea, they even leave out the end. For some reason, they leave out "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." Nevertheless, many repeat this Prayer without a clue as to what it means. Without a clue that just before Jesus gives us this EXAMPLE of HOW to Pray, He said, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

So what does it all mean?

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Revelation 1:

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 21:

6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

Revelation 22:

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Exodus 20:

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Matthew 22:

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

Have no other God before God. Jesus tells us, when we Pray, we should start off, recognizing God, first as our Father, Daddy, and Recognizing His Godhood. We should praise Him. Thank Him. Honor Him. Seek His Will in our lives. Let Him know we understand that it is not about us, but His Will. Put Him first in our lives.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Again, right before He gave us this Prayer, He said this. "for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." He goes on a bit later to explain more in detail...

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Again, He tells us "for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Fear not. Your Daddy will meet your needs. Know that He is with you always. Thank Him for meeting those needs. Have faith He will.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

In explaining the Prayer example, Jesus starts out with this.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Then as we discussed last time.. 

Matthew 18:

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

And in...

Mark 11:

25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

If you have something to forgive someone, do so. There is nothing that they did to you worthy of you losing you joy and realization that God forgave, and forgives you daily, for the Sins you sin toward Him. As we discussed last time also, there is nothing you can do to them that is even remotely close to what God will do to them if they do not repent their trespasses against one of His Children. You.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

James 1: 

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

What Jesus is in essence saying here, is ask your Father, to protect you from yourself. What He is saying is that you need to strengthen yourself in Truth and Righteousness. Strengthen your Spirit, to overcome the temptations of the flesh.

The devil never screams. He whispers. He reminds. He allows you to feel. Were or are you addicted to Porn? Have you overcome it? Now, you are walking through the Mall with your Family, and right there in front of you, is a teenage girl is one of the skimpiest little outfits you ever saw. Now you can't get the imagine out of your head. Or recovering from Drugs? All of a sudden, out of nowhere, you smell it. You taste it. Perhaps you have a dream about doing it. What happens? Now you can't get that imagine out of your head. If you give in, you may go right back into the bondage of the Sin you have overcome. Did the devil make you? Nope. You did it. All by yourself.

So Jesus tells us to be ever vigilant. Spend time with your Father. Ask Him to give you the strength to overcome. To be steadfast.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Again, as you starting out the Prayer. Finish it. Praising God. Thanking Him for being your Daddy. Thank Him for His majesty. For His Creation. Praise Him.

So to recap. Start your Prayers Praising God, ask Him and thank Him for meeting your daily needs, forgive any you ought to forgive and ask forgiveness for your Sins, ask Him for protection against the fleshly desire to Sin, and wrap it up with more Praising.

You see, Jesus never intended, nor does God intend, to only spend an hour or two a week with you. He wants you to be spending time with Him everyday. He wants the same relationship with you, that you have with your Earthy Father. He wants to be your Father. He wants you to talk with Him. Walk with Him. Not just an hour or two a week, if you feel like going, but everyday.

He does not want you to allow the cares of the World to press Him out of your life.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The first thing in the forefront of your mind, should be God and His Will and Way. His Word. His love. If you allow Him to be your Father, He will be. If you allow Him to be your Daddy, He will treat you as His Child. It really is this simple. He has little concern that you go to a Man-made Building, and follow Man-made Traditions. He does not want vain repetitions. He wants a true relationship with you.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? When you say, "Our Father, who art in Heaven," do you mean it. Do you know that God is your Father? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!