Pray the Lord’s Prayer in New Testament Gospel Truth

This Prayer Becomes Even More Powerful in Light of the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth — of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul says the gospel is the power of God, and that it establishes us. It reveals all the reality of God’s truth to us. Paul says it puts it to work in us. The gospel is empowering in ways we often have a hard time believing.

‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ Matthew 6:9–13, is dynamic. But Jesus prayed it before the cross. As the gospel is revealed in the New Testament, we discover that many things were made even then they were before. Thus, some last words Jesus spoke from the cross were, “It is finished!”

Before the cross, Jesus said he had many things to tell us but we couldn’t understand them (John 16:12). The cross reveals these things to us!

Remember that Jesus was born and lived under the law (Gal 4:4) so that he might redeem us from being under the law (Gal 4:5). Jesus is a minister of the law, for the truth of God: the gospel (Rom 15:8). In other words, the gospel is God’s way of fulfilling things in this new dispensation, and Paul says we are to only minister the New Testament, which means the gospel (II Cor 3:6).

The reason God sent Jesus was to reveal the gospel to us (Lk 4:43). Jesus says we must forsake all other beliefs and only believe his gospel (Mark 1:15).

Jesus says the law ended with the life of John the Baptist (Lk 16:16), and that all things that are written in the law, prophets, and psalms concerning Jesus were fulfilled (Luke 24:44). Thus, the gospel describes the truth of the Lord’s prayer as being fulfilled at even greater depths. When we pray this prayer in light of Christ’s finished work it becomes even more powerful.

If this prayer is prayed in light of the Old Testament is anticipatory. If it’s prayed in light of the New Testament gospel it is consuming and empowering.

Each segment of the prayer is followed by New Testament scriptures that reveal how it becomes more consuming and empowering to us.

Our Father in Heaven

Father, you are in heaven, but we know now your Kingdom of heaven is within us, and you are in us as Jesus prayed. So, heaven is not off in some remote place somewhere, but it is as close as breathing. We know that you were in Jesus, and we are as Jesus is here and now: “As Jesus is, so are we in this world.” Heaven is all around us in another dimension that we cannot see. (John 14: 9–11, 17:21–23, I John 4:17)

Hallowed be Your Name

Your name is holy, pure, and sanctified above everything. There are so many names of God mentioned in your word, that they cover every conceivable dimension of life, and it gives us the abundant life that Jesus came to bring us. Your name is even written on our forehead because all beings in both heaven and earth are named after you, and our names are also written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Eph 3:15, Rev 2:17, 3:12, 14:1 21:27)

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven

You call us friends, and also ambassadors, and also disciples. As such, we know we are to enforce the reality that exists in your Kingdom here on this earth. We are to live as citizens of heaven, even while we are here, and cause others to live in the same glory. And it is your expressed will that we are to live in the New Covenant glory of the gospel of your Kingdom that must be preached in all the world before the end will come, and that even angels preach it to some people. We are to repent of all other beliefs and influences, and simply believe and live the revealed gospel of your Kingdom of all that the finished work of Christ means to us here and now. And we are to declare the reality of your manifold wisdom, and all you have done and are doing, to demonic forces in heavenly places. (Heb 10:9, Mat 24:14, Rev 14:6, Mark 1:14–15, Eph 3:10)

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Of course, we thank you for the food for our bodies, Lord. But we know that ‘bread’ means much more than only food. Jesus said he had food to eat of which we did not know — and he spoke of the true bread from heaven and that he was the bread of life. It is like the ancient manna in the wilderness, which was full sustenance to the people. But this bread from heaven is all-powerful to us. We at least partially realize the impact of this bread when we take communion, that Jesus said we should take as often as we do it in remembrance of him. In communion, we take the body or the bread, — and the blood of Jesus into us. Of course, this is spiritual and not literal. We don’t become cannibals when we believe in Jesus. In effect, we receive a transfusion of the life of God into us. Lord, we realize that taking of this bread is like receiving you, as the branch receives from the Vine, and cannot live without the Vine. True bread is all truth that proceeds from your mouth. (John 6:23–58, Luke 22:19, I Cor 11:24–25, John 15:1–5, Mat 4:4)

Forgive Us Our Debts, as We Forgive Our Debtors

Lord, we know Jesus spoke this prayer while under the law, and before he went to the cross, and that the cross reformed and changed all things. The law caused all things to begin in us. It commanded us to love, to forgive, and to do countless other things — and not to do countless other things. But we know that in the gospel of your Kingdom, all things begin with you, not with us. Here, as we live in oneness with you as Jesus did, and we know we cannot be in oneness with you unless we are forgiven. So now we know our job is simply to receive your forgiveness and to know that you not only forgive us but also forget all of our sins. The mercies of David are fresh each morning, and you simply wipe the slate clean. Or better yet, you even throw the slate away. Knowing this is what empowers and causes us to forgive others — as you have forgiven us. But like all things in your Kingdom, all things begin in you, not in us. We just enter into the finished work of Jesus and respond in trust and belief toward you. (Gal 4:4, Heb 9:9–10, II Cor 5:17, John 14:10–11, John 17:20–23, Eph 4:32, Col 2:13, Heb 8:12, 10:17)

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Lord, we know that you never lead us into temptation, as it is sometimes said or thought that you do. You do not cause bad things to happen to us. You are always looking for ways to bless us, show us favor, empower us and deliver us. Plus you give us all your promises. We also know that you have given us your Kingdom, and the gospel, which is the Constitution of that Kingdom, and that you never tempt us to drift back into living under the law and the religion of the Old ways. It is our human nature that is drawn to that, and to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad, that is what enticed, tempted, and corrupted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Cause us to see what true temptation really is, and cause us to live in the reality — and to receive all that you have so freely given us. When we do start falling into the ways of the kingdom of self, and into unbelief, quicken us to repent and to believe your truth so that we are not taken captive by the devil at his will. (Jam 1:7–8, 12–15, Eph 1:3, 19, II Cor 1:20, Luke 12:32, Mark 1:14–15, II Cor 11:3, II Tim 2:25–26)

But Deliver Us from the Evil One

Thank you, Jesus, for delivering us from the evil one, and for destroying his works. Thank you for triumphing over him that you destroyed the law and everything that was contrary to us and against us, and you took it out of the way. Thank you for erasing all enmity with you, and establishing total peace in your Kingdom by the justification of Christ. Thank you for giving us all authority over Satan and all of his demonic forces, and for giving us the truth of your gospel to quote to Satan the power of your wisdom so we can defeat any of Satan’s futile accusations against us at every turn. Thank you for putting your armor on us, that covers us from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet, and so that Satan cannot tell if it is us or you in there because it is your armor. And we know that each aspect of your armor is a description of part of your gospel, that is your power working mightily in us, because it is ‘the power of God.’ Thank you for letting the entire spirit world — both angels and demons — see us as occupying your throne of glory with you. (I John 3:8, Col 2:14, Eph 2:15, Luke 10:19, Eph 3:10, 6:11–17, Rom 1:16, Eph 2:6)

For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory

But Lord, we know that you give your entire Kingdom to us, and we praise you for this. We know that you give us all the spiritual power of that Kingdom, all the revelation and knowledge of you by means of the Holy Spirit who causes all things to come to our remembrance. And you also give us the entire inheritance of Jesus, so that we are joint and equal with him in your eyes, and the eyes of the entire spirit world, even while we are on this earth. And thank you, Father, for even giving us your own divine glory that shines forth from us like light in the darkness. Thank you, Lord, that all we need to do is to receive from you — your righteousness, and your grace — and we reign with Jesus himself. Thank you that all of the atonement is ours, making us one with you.(Luke 12:32, Eph 1:17–19, John 14:13–18, John 17:22, Rom 8:30, 5:17, 5:11)

Amen

Lord, we know this means ‘I believe.’ The Old Testament was so hard it was impossible to live. The New is so good it is almost impossible to believe. Although we do believe, help us in our unbelief. Help us to not only believe in you, but to truly believe you, and to live by every word of grace and truth that Jesus came to bring — that proceeds from your mouth. Help us to truly realize the extent of your glory that you have given us, that you love us as much as you do Jesus himself, your only begotten Son, and that ‘as Jesus is, so are we in this world.’ Like David, help us truly become people knowing your heart. (Romans 3:10, Acts 15:10, Mark 9:24, John 1:17, Matthew 4:4, I Pet 1:9–12, John 17:22–23, I John 4:17, Acts 13:22)