The center of God’s Kingdom in heaven and on earth is His Son, Jesus Christ. Our posture in prayer is to be present in God’s reality, God’s possible.
The most “present” we can be is to join our lives with Jesus Christ. He brings us into the center of the Father’s heart.
In this place of identity, Jesus teaches us to pray.
“When you pray , go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, in the secret place…pray like this…” (Matthew 6: 6, 9-13)
The teaching that follows this is the jewel of prayer. When Jesus teaches the Kingdom parable of the man who finds a treasure in a field, goes to sell all he had to buy that field, and returns so he can possess the treasure for life, he is talking about a life of prayer.
Jesus teaches us that prayer is not words or contractual manipulation. It is relationship in the deepest place of your heart. It is a dwelling place. A place that becomes life itself.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Who’s power no foe can withstand].
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I confidently trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2 AMPC)
Studying The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 in the Aramaic (the language Jesus taught in) reveals a deeper understanding of how to pray. The “Our Father” prayer is a synopsis of ALL of Jesus’ teachings. It teaches us who we are and Whose we are.
The One who is perfect teaches us to posture our hearts in this prayer and to stay there in every season.
We began studying the richness of the “Lord’s Prayer” in last session and will finish it today. In the Aramaic the word “prayer” means to “capture”. We begin with a heart posture to capture God’s Presence, His counsel, His Person, His grace and everything He chooses to pour into us. We place all our attention on Him.
In review, He teaches us to begin with, “Our Father”. This statement puts us in unity as His children. There is no person spiritually higher than the other. We all call Him “Father” (Beloved Parent who cares for us). Precious humility releases the care of caring for ourselves.
He then teaches us to pray, “Who art in Heaven”. This is not a statement of separation (by space and time-Heaven being a far off place) but, rather, we learn that in Aramaic this means “the One who is everywhere”. If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (Psalm 139:8). Take a deep breath. He is here.
“Holy is Your Name” becomes a reminder that His name is a strong tower, the righteous run into and they are safe (Proverbs 18:10). His name covers us and it is holy. His name is given to us; Jesus, the name above all names. He writes His name on our heart. He calls us by His name. This declaration is an adjustment for our soul to live in God’s reality, no matter the storm. To call on the name of the Lord is to live covered in His identity.
“Your Kingdom Come” invites the counsel of God in your mind and heart. In the Aramaic the word “Kingdom” means “God’s Counsel”. We are positioning ourselves under the wisdom of God and forsaking our own opinions. A blessed release!
Now, we begin this session with “Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
Our God is a God of beautiful order. Everything He creates and does is in perfect balance. Out of His mind and heart flows creation. Everything has a purpose and there is no chaos. Planets move within a divinely appointed rhythm around solar systems without crashing. Baby sea turtles come out of their shells and run to the ocean. Trees produce seeds, that produce trees, that produce seeds…Day has a set number of hours and so does the night…Everything He does is in perfect order.
Why is there chaos? Why is there death? Why is there pain?
In all of creation God gave to humanity alone a divine treasure. Unlike the tree and the turtle that follows His set plan, He gave us choice. We could connect or disconnect to His wisdom.
“This day, I call the heavens and the earth as witness against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
You and I were born with a choice to connect to His abundant life (John 10:10) or not.
Our free-will is a treasure that was part of God’s declaration, “Let us make man in Our image.” The deep mystery of it is this…you are a world creator. The life you live is not given, it was chosen…by you.
Adam and Eve gave up the treasure for a deception. If you disconnect from God and eat this, you will become like god.
Disconnection from the Creator breeds chaos in creation.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Sin disrupted the perfect balance. Order became twisted. Sin in its simplest definition is disconnect.
But God’s desire releases perfection even in the chaos. A perfect solution that cost Him the life of His Son. The treasure of Jesus is given to humanity to restore the loss. When Jesus comes into the heart of a person, God’s perfect will and purpose is restored. This is the good news, that all men can be saved from death and its eternal effects.
Free-will remains, but now we can center ourselves under the will of the Father through Jesus Christ. “Let Your will be done on earth as (it is perfect) in the heavens.” This declaration aligns us and attunes us to God’s beautiful order. You are now in life-union with the will of God, Jesus Christ.
I want to give you a very clear word from the Holy Spirit:
Your heart is God’s treasure. A treasure by definition is not common…it is pursued and purchased. He has pursued you and by the blood of Jesus there has been a costly purchase.
Jesus is our heart’s treasure. We have pursued His truth and He has been found. We purchase His life with our own.
“Our true life IS the Anointed One”( Philippians 1:21).
Jesus tells us, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also” (Matthew 6:21).
Free-will becomes bondage when we choose to be our own god.
When we choose Jesus to be Lord of our life we are truly free.
The chaos and pain of this world are filled with our opinions. The first thing sin did was give birth to opinion. I am naked…this is shameful…I think it would be best to hide from God. It would be best to disconnect from His Presence because I disappointed Him. I can take care of myself.
A word for us today: Jesus said, “Be careful that you do not mistake your opinions for revelation…(Luke 11:35).
Jesus came to restore us in position under the arm of the Father to walk in the cool of the day… in a life of prayer.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is the next alignment Jesus teaches us in prayer. This is not just praying for three square meals a day. Bread in scripture is life, sustenance, divine provision, and the body of our Savior, Jesus.
Our spiritual bread is Jesus.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
I am the bread of life…this is the bread that comes down from heaven.
If anyone eats this bread, they will live forever; and the bread that I give is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world” (John 6:47-51).
The center of God’s Kingdom in Heaven and on earth is Jesus. We need to daily experience Jesus. Our new life flows from His life. We eat the truth of His words every day. They become a part of us. They nourish us spirit, soul, and body. They bring divine order.
Jesus called His Father’s will His bread.
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and finish His work.” (John 4:34)
Jesus is our standard. We are sustained by living inside the beautiful will of God. It brings strength and health to us. This statement in prayer reminds us to release our own opinions and “eat” God’s will for us.
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Jesus taught on forgiveness more than He taught on heaven or hell. Forgiveness is the foundational core of Jesus’ teaching. Here we have this petition in the center of His prayer.
Forgiveness is an essential requirement for living in the Kingdom of God. It is a Kingdom of mercy. If you are not acquainted with mercy, you are not acquainted with the Kingdom of God.
There is a teaching about forgiveness that Jesus returned to and repeated several times: He taught, If you do not forgive your fellow man their faults, God will not forgive yours (Ex: Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:14-15). This is intense, but it is for our healing.
Unforgiveness is disconnect; forced disconnect for self-protection from injury. Holding bitterness in your heart toward someone is raw unbelief. God promises you, “I am the Lord who heals you”. When you take a stand and say “I can’t forgive them” you are also saying “I can’t let you heal me”.
Are you hurt or are you healed?
Who has the power to hurt you more than the power of God has to heal you?
I set before you life and death, blessing and curses…choose life.
Forgiveness is not a feeling. We make a stand by faith. If you need to, write down the statement of forgiveness, and date it. Remind your feelings it was done on that date.
To forgive in the Aramaic means to untie. Forgiving someone who hurt you is like untying a boat and letting it be carried away by the current. Imagine two beautifully crafted wooden boats tied together by a rope of anger. The boats would bang against each other until they both break and sink. Make the decision. Untie the boat. Let God carry out His justice.
God can’t forgive us when we hold unforgiveness because we have refused His healing for our heart. Disconnect. If you refuse to forgive, you stay disconnected from God’s grace to heal you.
Ministry flows when we are ministered to by our loving Father.
Remember…Forgiveness is limitless in the Kingdom (7 x 70 times, Matthew 18:22).
Forgiveness characterizes a believer.
The parable Jesus taught us of the unforgiving servant reveals how important this is to God. It goes like this: A king forgives an unpayable debt (roughly 6 billion dollars in today’s money). The same servant refuses to forgive a fellow servant a tiny debt (roughly 10K). The king is angry, cancels the pardon, and hands the servant over to be punished. Jesus ends the parable by saying, “This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18: 23-25 summarized).
Remember, the heart of “Our Father” is like any good parent, that His children would get along!
Forgiveness settles us in the center of the Father’s heart.
“Lead us not into temptation” begins our final alignment in prayer before we end in worship. We live in a world filled with people screaming the “way to success”, the “way to happiness”, the “way to long life”, the “way to health” and billions more. Jesus teaches us to pray that we stay on the path of God’s Way.
The common translation of “Lead us not…” is NOT what the original Aramaic says. We know from James 1:13-14 that “God leads NO ONE into temptation”! The original language means “Do not LET US enter into temptation”. We position our ear to His heart.
We can say, “Let me not be led by my own desires…”
“God I invite your searching gaze into my heart.
Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares.
See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious everlasting ways- the path that brings me back to you” (Psalm 139:23-24 TPT).
The word temptation in the Aramaic is L’Nisyona and can also mean “materialism”. It could read: Let us not be snared by materialism… This brings so much more depth to our petition…so much more responsibility to align ourselves with His words and not the world’s ways.
“Deliver us from evil…” Revelation 12:11 says about believers in Jesus Christ, “They overcome the evil one by the blood of the LAMB ( ‘our lives were purchased and we are now holy in God’s eyes’ ), the word of their testimony ( ‘Jesus is Lord and His Words are our Truth’ ), and they did not love their lives until the end ( ‘for us to live IS Christ, my life IS the Anointed One, it is not my own’ )”.
We don’t store up treasures to love our lives on earth. We love our good Shepherd, Jesus, and with our lives joined to Him, we kick every evil thing from our path.
“For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever!” His part never changes. We are faithful to do our part. The “Lord’s Prayer” puts us in the center of His glorious Kingdom realm. He is our inexhaustible source of life! The prayer ends with us found, joyfully, under a blessed assurance: We are His children and everything belongs to Him. Worship places us in perfect alignment with the Father and His perfect will. Worship releases us from ourselves.
Until next time,
Pastor Teresa
