Of course there is not a word about redemption here, because redemption was not accomplished when this prayer was given. Luke tells us it was given in answer to the disciples' request, and when we remember it was at an early part of the Lord's ministry, no doubt they used it for years; but at the close of His ministry the Lord says to them, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name He will give it you. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in My name. Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” So that they had never asked anything in the Lord's name. The mere adding “for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake” at the end of a prayer is not this. But that we ask in the consciousness of the new position in which the Lord has brought His own since redemption.
When the Holy Ghost was sent down, the believer was placed in a new and wondrous position— “one spirit with the Lord"; “as He is so are we"; “taken into favor in the Beloved.” John 17 shows us that the Father has the same love for us as He has for His Son the man Christ Jesus; and He has given us His position before the Father in heaven, because we have the Holy Ghost. “In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in Me [up there before the Father], and I in you” [down here on the earth]. Asking in His name is asking as one who has His position of nearness and dearness, not one on earth looking up to a Father in heaven. One using this prayer is in the same position as the disciples before redemption was accomplished. The position of the disciples was a mixed one. There are those who would teach children to sing
“I wish that His hands had been placed on my head,
That His arms had been thrown around me,
That I might have seen His kind look when He said
Let the little ones come unto Me.”
But a believing child now is in a much better position than those dear children, because they had not the Holy Ghost, since redemption was not accomplished. The apostle said to the Corinthians, “Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more,” but now we know Him in a far more blessed way through the Holy Ghost.
We were looking at ver. 12 when we closed the meeting last week. “As we have forgiven” is a well authenticated reading. Suppose we took that prayer as a universal one to be used by everybody, where is the room for the gospel if the unsaved are to use it? It is putting people on their works. But if we see this was for disciples we see that it is governmental forgiveness and not a question of eternity; if we cherish an unforgiving spirit, God in His government will make us feel it. Looking again at Luke 17, to which we have already referred, we see (ver. 3-5) how the disciples thought it would require great faith to carry out what the Lord had just said: and a very practical lesson for all of us is in what follows in ver. 6. Mustard seed is very small, and however tiny our faith is, all things are possible with God, and all things are possible to him that believeth; so, however small your faith is, use it and the hindrances to your carrying out the Lord's words in these verses will be removed. This shows that if we fail in this graciousness it is because we don't look to the Lord. But there is a needs be to put the other side and so we have verses 7-10. Suppose you have forgiven a brother seven times a day, do not have high thoughts about yourself in consequence: rather, say “We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do.” How the word of God strips us of all pride and boasting!
Returning to our chapter, the disciples are here (Matthew 6:1313And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13)) asking the Father to “Lead us not into temptation.” This is not temptation to sin, for James says (1:13) “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.” Satan tempts man to evil, and we have an evil nature that responds to it. James commences his Epistle with “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” Here the word means trials. God tempted, that is, tried Abraham. There is all the difference between our entering into temptation and God trying us. God may lead us into trial, as He did Abraham. But the Lord said to Peter, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” If we enter presumptuously into trial, we are bound to fall; but if the Lord does lead us into it He will sustain us. Those to whom James wrote were since redemption, and had the Holy Ghost. If it were not so, they could not count it all joy.
The latter clause of Matthew 6:1313And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13), as is well known, is an interpolation, and should not be there. The prayer ends with “deliver us from evil.” In verse 14 the Lord goes back to ver. 12. It is God's governmental dealings with His children, and so it is “your heavenly Father,” and quite different to Colossians 2:1313And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:13). They had life through God's gracious quickening, and as to their standing before God all trespasses were forgiven; but if in our relationship with our Father we do not cultivate this spirit of forgiveness, we are losers. Contrast Colossians 1:12-1412Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:12‑14). with this prayer, and the simplest soul can surely see that Colossians is far in advance. When God unfolds to me that I have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, and that I am delivered from Satan's authority and power, it draws out from me that thanksgiving which is due to the Father. The disciples asked for a prayer, and He gave them this form, but to us He has given the Holy Ghost, and we should pray in the Holy Ghost. If we turn to the Psalms, we find there a book of prayer and praise exactly suited to the Jewish remnant in a day that is coming, but not adequately suited to us. We have no set form of prayer and praise given to us Christians, but we profit from every book of the Bible, the whole word of God. Yet while there are many utterances of the Psalms suited to us, yet, if a person used the book without discriminating what is suited to an earthly people they would get into a very unsatisfactory state of soul.
Look at those who try to Christianize what belongs to the Jew, and who say that the imprecatory psalms belong to a barbarous age! How would Psalm 109:4-134For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. 5And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. 7When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. 8Let his days be few; and let another take his office. 9Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. 10Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. 11Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor. 12Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children. 13Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. (Psalm 109:4‑13) suit you? It is utterly opposed to all we have been reading of the principles of the kingdom, and to the spirit of the Christian, but it will be quite right for the remnant, so that unless we learn to rightly divide the word of truth, we get into terrible difficulties. The whole Bible is for us, but not all about us. There are parts of the Psalms that belong to the Lord Jesus only; parts also which belong to Him and the remnant; and there are parts too that may be applied to the Christian now, and to the remnant by and by.
A greater number have been led into error through a misuse of the Psalms than of any other book. There are parts in which people delight, because there it is not so much God revealing Himself and instructing us, as it is the experimental outpouring of the saint. Psalm 32 is quoted in Romans 4. You get the negative side in the Psalm, and the positive side in Romans, and a very blessed Psalm it is to preach the gospel from, only you must make a right use of it. And that very 109th Psalm, to which I have already referred, was quoted by Peter, in Acts 1, before the Holy Ghost was given.
An O.T. saint prayed “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me"; but a Christian could not intelligently so pray, because now that the indwelling Spirit is given to those who obey Him, “He shall abide with you forever.” The Holy Ghost came upon even wicked men in the O.T., as for instance, Saul and Balaam, who were never born again, and though by Him the O.T. saints were born again, He never indwelt any until redemption. This so-called Lord's prayer was not prayed in public; it was “Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray.” In Acts 4 the place was shaken where the apostles were gathered together praying. I can recall no record in the Gospels of their being so gathered, though the promise of “If two of you shall agree, etc.,” is in view of it, and would show the blessedness of fellowship in the things of the Lord.
Verse 16.-Here we come to the third component of “your righteousness” with which the chapter began. The first is alms; the second, prayer; the third, fasting. Do not let what you give, be before men; let your prayers be in secret, and do not let your fasting appear before men. The hypocrites wanted to advertise themselves, and they had their reward; they were esteemed very pious people. Fasting itself may be an evil thing. Writing to the Colossians the apostle condemns neglecting the body; but we may well conceive a soul with such a burden on the heart before God that it takes no food but remains before Him—that is true fasting. Do not let there be anything to promulgate it. Let it be a secret between your soul and God. It will be a blessing to you if there is reality, and it is a real expression of your soul before God. There is a great desire for the nation now to spend a day of humiliation and prayer; if only a form it will be a very poor thing, but if there is really a humbling before God, it will correspond with Nineveh.
Now we come to another division of the chapter (vers. 19-24). As far as the Christian is concerned, if he has money he simply has it as a steward. In early days they had all things common, when all the saints were in Jerusalem. But that could not be carried out now. We have further instructions since failure has come in; see 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-196But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:6‑10)
17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17‑19), where raiment should read “covering"; the word in the original takes in a roof as well as raiment. That fits in a good deal with this chapter. Those who have money like to invest it wisely, and the Lord shows here how to do it. “He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord.” One could not have a safer investment, or better interest. We do not know what a day or an hour may bring forth. Three years ago people in Belgium little thought what would occur. Riches take to themselves wings and fly away. They will never fly away if invested thus. Heaven is the place to store them. The Lord is showing the place in which to deposit treasure. It is individual. What a blessed thing to be able to rightly appreciate what we have in heaven, and thus have our hearts set on things above, not on things on the earth!
The great point in ver. 22 is to have the single eye. It is a testing verse. Suppose I am distracted and in uncertainty about anything. Does not this tell me my eye is not single? If I want partly to please myself, and partly to please the Lord, I have not a single eye. But if I have a single eye for a single object, it will make my path easier as I go along.