Biblical Prayer (part 4)

Have a blessed Sunday to all. I am now on the last part of this series. My prayer is that we improve in our prayer life because it is the air that we breath.

BIBLICAL PRAYER

Matthew 6:12-13

"Forgive us our sin"

Sin is a moral and spiritual debt to God that must be paid. Believers have experienced once-for-all God's judicial forgiveness, which they received the moment Christ was trusted as Savior. We are no longer condemned, no longer under judgment, no longer destined for hell. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) The eternal Judge has declared us pardoned, justified and righteous. No one, human or satanic, can condemn or bring any "charge against God's elect". "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:33-34) But because we still fall into sin, we frequently require God's gracious forgiveness, His forgiveness not now as judge but as father.

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"as we also forgive those who sin against us"

Jesus gives the prerequisite for receiving forgiveness in the words, as we also forgive those who sin against us". The principle is simple but sobering. If we have forgiven, we will be forgiven; if we have not forgiven, we will not be forgiven.

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"do not lead us into temptation"

Temptation has to do with testing or proving. It is not either good or evil. It derived the relative meanings of trials and temptation.

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God's holiness and goodness will not allow His leading anyone certainly not one of His children, into a place or experience in which they would purposely be induced to commit sin. "Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." (James 1:13)

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"deliver us from evil"

Deliver is actually in the form of command. In a cursed world where we are battered by evil and all around us, we confess our inadequacy to deal with evil. We confess the weakness of our flesh and the absolute impotency of human resources to combat sin and rescue us from its clutches. Above all, we confess our need for the protection and deliverance of our loving heavenly Father.

NOTE: Praying for deliverance is the expression of the redeemed soul that so despises and fears sin that it wants to escape all prospects of falling into it, choosing to avoid rather than having to defeat temptation.

This series is from my hand-out notes during our six months Church Membership Class in LWCM , Banilad, Cebu, Philippines. The class was conducted by our Senior Pastor Mel Caparros.