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Lesson 8 Matthew 2020
Verses | Matthew 6:1-18
Key Verse | Matthew 6:9

Our Father in heaven

" “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,"

Jesus talks about the godly life that the children of God must pursue. Jesus devoted more on the prayer between the three types of godly life. If fasting is also included in prayer, it is more important to emphasize on prayer. I hope we will have a close relationship with our Father in heaven through prayer. It is natural for children to ask their fathers for help. I pray that we will move forward with deep reverence and love for our father.

First, Salvation(1-4). See verse 1. "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." If you practice righteousness in front of others, you will try to exaggerate or decorate yourself. If you practice righteousness for human recognition and praise, your mind gradually becomes corrupt. Our righteousness must be done before God and be true and sincere. Only then will God give you a reward.

Therefore, Jesus says, "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others." They have already received their own rewards if they are saved and honored. There is no reward from God.

So how should we save them? Look at verses 3 and 4. "3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Jesus emphasizes to do good secretly. Secret giving makes the recipient's position comfortable. There is also an award for giving. We can share our talents. You can also hand out things you don't use at home to people who need them. You can also share your knowledge. Salvation includes not only distributing materials to the poor, but also giving words, sharing love and counseling for the poor soul. When we live a life of helping and serving others our lives become richer. Also, you will experience the work of God among the salvation. In process of salvation, it is a high rank from heaven. He said salvation is a loan to God. Salvation gives the secret of faith that only God and I know. You will enjoy the recognition, praise and joy of God.

Second, Prayer (5-15): The passage about prayer is the longest part of the word about godliness. We can see that prayer is a big part of the godly life. Look at verses 5 and 6. "5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." The listener of the prayer is God. We are not praying to a person. Therefore, you should not pray in order to show to the people.

When we pray, we should go into a room, close the door and pray to our Father, who is unseen. What kind of room is it? It is an enclosed space, such as a warehouse or attic. It's a place where we can pray without being conscious of people, without being disturbed by people. A small room is a secret place where the door to the world is closed and only the door to God is opened. When Jesus prayed, He went to a quiet place and focused only on God. Prayer is a communication with God. We praise God, thank Him for giving us, and confess our love and trust through prayer. We also talk about hard and difficult things and seek God's help. Through this prayer, we have a deeper intimate relationship with God. Prayer is called as a spiritual breathe. The more we pray, the more our souls are revived, are hotter and live a life held by the Holy Spirit. Prayer makes us strong. The men God owned were the same people of prayer. Through prayer, we realize the will of God and gain the power to live according to His will. We gain the power of the Holy Spirit. When you pray, you gain the power to deny yourself and live a holy life. Jesus also prayed and gained the power to bear the cross.

Then, how should we pray? Look at verses 7 and 8. "7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." "Babbling" means repeating the same word like magic spells. The Gentiles think they will be heard because of their many words. But God knows our situation well. He knows what we need before we seek Him. Since God knows, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have to pray; it means we don’t need to babble. If you seek with sincerity and with faith, God answers faithfully. God gives us the best in response, the best in God's sight and the right time, not when we want it.
Jesus teaches his disciples the example of prayer. When Jesus prays, He asks us to call God our Father in heaven. At that time, Jews could not call God's name recklessly, so they called Him Adonai, or Lord. But Jesus tells us to call God our Father in heaven in a friendly way. He tells us to pray as if a son or a daughter approaches their father and ask him intimately. The Father in heaven does not simply mean that He is in heaven spatially. He is an omnipotent God who looks at the world from heaven as if He were looking everywhere on a high watchtower. The fact that we have an eternal Father is a great comfort. Having lost my father early, calling God my father is an indescribable consolation and emotion. What a privilege it is to worship and serve Father God, who creates and manages the universe! Also, God is not only my Father but our Father. Those who believe in God are my brothers and sisters. You should also be interested in their needs and work with them. We must cherish and nurture communities where we live with God as our Father.

When we pray, we must first pray that the name of God's Father is hallowed. You must pray that God is treated as God. God is the Creator and Owner of the whole world. He is our master and king. He is worthy to receive honor, glory and praise from all creatures. But the world knows God, but neither does it make Him glorious nor is it thankful. From Adam to today, humans have lived by their greed in constant opposition to God and disobeying Him. There are also some demon-like humans who openly swear at God and insult Him by making and worshipping various idols besides God. The names of stars have become idols, capturing the hearts of teenagers. They are not interested in God's words, but they know everything about the identities of singers or stars. We must pray that God's name will be holy in this depraved world. We must pray for a world where everyone praises and worships God. We must play a role in exposing God's holiness and its glory through our lives. Whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of God. Whatever we do, it is the reason and purpose of our existence that we live in the world to reveal the glory of God through it.

Secondly, we must pray for the kingdom to come. The kingdom of God began when Jesus came to this land and preached the gospel. The world is still under the power of sin and death. There are a lot of injustice, chagrin, and resentment in this world. We must pray for the kingdom of God, where righteousness and humanity reign in this world. We must pray that God will come and rule over ‘me’ as king in this heart where ‘I’ ruled as a king. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, I pray that the kingdom of God will come to our meeting. I pray that this country will change from a kingdom of obscenity, a kingdom of games, a kingdom of gambling, and a kingdom of drugs that loves pleasure more than God to a kingdom of God. When God reigns in my heart, in our family, in our campus, in this country, this world will be a more habitable place.

Third, we should pray for God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven, God's rule is already in place, and God's will is fulfilled. Angels are 100% obedient to God's will. Jesus also denied Himself and carried the cross of hardship to fulfill God's will. But God's will is not fully fulfilled in this land. The people know God's will, but they disobey and protest. They live according to their greed rather than God's will. In this world, we must pray earnestly for the treason and disobedience to disappear and let the God's will be fulfilled. To do this, we need to know what God's will is. God's will is for at least one more person to be saved, and for us to live a life of gratitude for all things. God's will is in the word and is taught through conscience and reason. I pray that we can live according to God's great and higher will than my narrow and low will.

Fourth, He says that we should seek for daily bread. People do not believe in God, who gives them daily bread. They think they should solve the problem of making a living by themselves. So they eat and live well, but they always worry about the eating and living problems. Also, if one lives well, he thinks he became rich because he was well-off, and because he tried hard. People live a dreadful hard life to live and eat forever. In John 6:27, Jesus said, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life."

If you seek for daily bread, God supplies you faithfully. Heaven's Father knows what we need and supplies us every time. The word “Pray for your daily bread” means it is enough to eat that day. It means to not be too greedy and rely on God Almighty in your daily life. He says if you need anything in your life, don't worry and pray. You should pray and shouldn’t worry about the problems such as work, health, marriage, or child problems as well as food problems. Then God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19).

Fifth, He says to pray for forgiveness and remission. See verse 12. "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." We are sinners who have no choice but to sin like we eat every day. We have to wash our sins like we wash our feet every day. Just as the body needs food, the soul needs sinfulness. You must be forgiven and justified to have a good relationship with God. Pascal says there are two types of sinners: a hopeless sinner and a hopeful sinner. A hopeless sinner is a person who thinks that he or she has committed no sin even after committing it. A hopeful sinner is a sinner who commits and realizes sin. We must have a confession to be forgiven. But there is something we must do before we ask God to forgive us. We must forgive those who have sinned against us first. The biggest problem between people is not forgiving each other. Psychologists did an experiment. They asked if anyone was hurt by someone, and 90% said they were hurt. Then they asked if they remember hurting someone else. No one answered, just looking at each other. Therefore, a person hates, resents, and judges only the wounds he or she has received, not thinking about the wounds he or she has given.

See verses 14, 15. "14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Jesus once again says, because it is important to forgive brothers/sisters. We gained remission by the grace of Jesus' cross. We are the ones who owe God’s 10,000 talents. But what happens if you don't write off your brother's small debt? My sin cannot be forgiven. We must repay the debt of gratitude ‘I’ have received to the others. The characteristics of the kingdom of God are righteousness, love, and forgiveness. Life of repentance and forgiveness is not easy. You need to have the power of prayer.

Sixth, you should pray not to be tempted. "And lead us not into temptation,    but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen (13)." We are always tempted to sin because of our weaknesses. With the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, Satan constantly seduces us. We should recognize our weaknesses and pray that we will not be tempted. Peter denied Jesus three times because he did not pray for he was self-confident and self-trusting.
But Jesus prayed eagerly in the garden of Gethsemane before the cross. He prayed to move the cup of death if he could. He didn't want to feel the pain of crucifixion. But he denied himself and prayed to obey God's will. Jesus passed the temptation through prayer.

Jesus says not to show any signs of sadness when fasting. See verses 17 and 18. " 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." A believer's godly life must be done in secret. When salvation, prayer, and fasting are performed secretly before God, you receive His reward. Human’s acceptance and praise are only one moment. On the other hand, the reward of God gives us peace and joy in our hearts and makes us mature through the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We have a close relationship with God and grow. You can always accompany God and live a rich life enjoying the blessings He gives you. We must believe in God and live a secret life of faith before God. I pray for you to grow up in love with our Father in heaven.