An Analysis of the Lord's Prayer
Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to
explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly
Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This
morning we seek to understand the meaning of the Lord's Prayer.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
An Analysis of the Lord's Prayer
"And it came to pass, that as he (Jesus ) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one
of the disciples said unto him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" Luke, Chapter 11, Verse 1.
Our Father which are in heaven; hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is done 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.
Our Father which are in heaven. Such a statement implies that we have the same Father as Jesus.
Jesus is the divine Son of God, as well as a one time mortal son of God. If we have the same Father,
then must we also be sons of God. Our Father lives in heaven. Jesus came forth from the Father,
taking on human form, and ascending back to the Father. The heavenly Father is spiritual; therefore
our Father in heaven is spiritual, as it must be in the spiritual sense that we are sons of the Spirit
Father.
Hallowed be Your name. Here we are given a glimpse of the Father's character. His character is such
that it is to be venerated. It is holy and sacred. It is the name above all other names. It is good and
unified beauty. The Father is of such nature that He is to be worshiped. He is the noblest being in
all the universes, the One worthy of all love and loyalty, the One whom we should all aspire to be
like.
Your kingdom come. Now we see that there is another kingdom other than the kingdom of this
world. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, and peace and joy in the
holy spirit." This kingdom when fully embraced brings supreme happiness and satisfaction. This
kingdom brings peace and joy in the spirit. This is a spiritual kingdom as opposed to the material
kingdoms of this world which are temporal. "The kingdom of God is within." The spiritual kingdom
is the reign of divine values, infinite in scope and divine meanings, eternal in duration.
Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. When the will of the Heavenly Father is done by
all, then will the kingdom of heaven be a reality on earth. The Father's will is infinite, eternal, and
absolute, therefore inclusive of all divine values and meanings. The Father's will is the mechanism
whereby the spiritual kingdom is advanced on earth. When the believer chooses the Father's will
rather than his own, then does the Father increasingly make that individual perfect as He is. Only the
divine wisdom of the Father's will can transform an incomplete creature into a perfect creature.
When the believer prays that the Father's will be done on earth as it is done in heaven, he is in effect
dedicating himself to doing the Father's will.
Give us this day, our daily bread recognizes the Father as the source of all divine sustenance. It
recognizes our total dependence upon him for the bread of life. The Father is the source of that
undying hope and unquenchable faith that literally pulls us through life. Without the Father, nothing
is possible. With Him, everything that is divine is eternally possible.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive out debtors shows the simultaneous nature of the Father's
forgiveness. We receive forgiveness as we give forgiveness. The Father is absolutely fair. He loves
each of His children equally. Fairness demands that if we should receive forgiveness, then must we
give forgiveness. Our spiritual debts grow out of our inability or unwillingness to be loyal at all times
to the Father's will, loyal to truth. Disloyalty to truth breaks the communication circuit with the spirit
Father. The Father is still there, but we have as it were turned off the switch. The switch can be
turned on again by a change of heart--in effect, by making a decision to be loyal to truth once again.
This is true repentance, and when we forgive our brothers and sisters for being disloyal to us, then
consciousness of forgiveness becomes a reality in our personal experience.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil implies that the Father does lead and guide
His children, as well as deliver them from evil. The Father does not lead His children into
temptation. This statement really reflects the twofold nature of man, the material and the spiritual.
The imperfect will of his children is unable to perfectly follow the leading of the Father and
recognizes this failure as temptation. This is in reality a prayer for spiritual maturity. The immature
choosing of his children is evil, thus the petition for deliverance from evil. Only by being born again
can the children of the Heavenly Father be delivered from immature choosing. It is only after being
born again that his children are able to follow the leading of the Father without evil or error.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen. The spiritual kingdom belongs
to the spirit Father. He is the source of the kingdom. He maintains, upholds, and controls the
kingdom. He does this through the power of His great love. Divine love once fully admitted to the
soul destroys the desire to be disloyal to truth. The values and meanings are magnificent, beautiful,
true, and good, and in the final analysis remain indescribable, but to live them is to know them.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the Lord's Prayer. We hope you
find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. Until next time,
this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
An Analysis of the Lord's Prayer
