Luke 11 Lesson

HOW TO PRAY

If you had the opportunity to ask Jesus how to pray, would you? 

That is exactly what happens in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of Lukewhen one of the disciples said to Jesus:

• “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” – Luke 11:1.

Jesus replied:

• "When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And lead us not into temptation.’” – Luke 11:2-4.

This is a rare opportunity to learn directly from Jesus how we ought to pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

In today’s lesson, we will be looking at what is commonly referred to as, “The Lord’s Prayer.”   

It is the greatest example of how to pray in the Bible because the teaching comes directly from Jesus.

We will divide Jesus’ prayer into five sections, and then conclude our lesson by reflecting on how His teachings apply to us today.

THE LORD’S PRAYER – SECTION ONE 

• “Father, hallowed be Your name.” – Luke 11:2. 

Jesus starts His prayer by showing reverence and respect for God.  

So should we!

THE LORD’S PRAYER – SECTION TWO 

• “Your kingdom come.” – Luke 11:2.

“Your kingdom” is another way of saying, “Your reign.”

When Jesus says, “Your kingdom come,” He is teaching us to pray for God’s influence to be felt throughout the world.  

Jesus is teaching us to accept God's plan for the world no matter what!

We know from the scriptures, that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were all foretold by the prophets.

We also know that Jesus promised us He is going to return.

By praying, “Your kingdom come,” we are acknowledging that we are committed to doing things God’s way, and not our own.

THE LORD’S PRAYER – SECTION THREE

• “Give us each day our daily bread.” – Luke 11:3.

Jesus teaches us to pray for the necessities of life, not the luxuries .  

He instructs us to pray for the things we need, not the things we want.  

Many times, our prayers can be more materialistic than just asking for enough to eat and for shelter.

That is not how Jesus taught us to pray.

Sure, we can pray for:

• A bigger house,
• A newer car,
• Or a nice vacation.

But is that following Jesus’ example of how to pray?

Consider this scripture spoken by Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount:

• “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.  For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” - Mathew 6:24-26.

In Jesus’ example of how to pray, He showed us what is important to Him.

He wants us to serve God and one another, not money.

He wants us to pray for the necessities of life, not material things.

THE LORD’S PRAYER – SECTION FOUR

• “And forgive us our sins.   For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” – Luke 11:4.

We all want forgiveness for ourselves.  

But what about when it comes to others?

The Bible teaches us to show others compassion and forgiveness, not judgment.

If we want God to forgive us, we must be quick to forgive others.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

• “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” –   Mathew 6:14-15. 

If we want to receive forgiveness from God, we must practice forgiveness ourselves.

THE LORD’S PRAYER – SECTION 5 

• “And lead us not into temptation.” – Luke 11:4.

Satan is a worthy adversary and is not to be taken lightly.

The Apostle Peter wrote about this in his first epistle:

• “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8. 

The good news for us is that when we resist the devil, he will flee from us.

Consider the following two scriptures: 

1. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7,
2. “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13.

CONCLUSION

If we want to pray like Jesus, we need to incorporate the teachings of Jesus from The Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus taught us that we are to:

1. Treat God with respect and reverence when we pray,
2. Pray for the things that we need in life before we pray for the things that we want,
3. Pray for forgiveness and be willing to forgive others,
4. Pray that God will deliver us from the things that tempt us.

When we pray in this manner, we are following the example of Jesus, and this pleases God.

We will conclude today’s lesson with the following scripture from the Gospel of Mathew:

• “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.   Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.   Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.   Give us this day our daily bread.   And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]   For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.’” – Mathew 6:7-14.

​​​​​