The Text In Context

Bob Utley, "Matthew 6"

Lord's Prayer Cinema Advert

The Church of England commercial that was deemed unsuitable and pulled from cinemas in the UK.

A Bishop's Response

"This is a prayer said by billions of people every day in every language on the planet. In every single moment in time, someone is praying these words. They are the first words of prayer we learn as children and the last words we say at the moment of death. The Lord’s Prayer is powerful for a reason. These words shape lives and families and communities and whole societies." –The Right Reverend Stephen Croft, former Bishop of Sheffield (now Oxford) responds to the Lord's Prayer controversy.

Abba

Jesus' claim of intimate relationship with God offended many of His opponents because they considered Abba to be overly familiar in addressing God. But Jesus' usage established the pattern for the church's view of God and each believer's relationship with Him. Paul used Abba to describe God's adoption of believers as His children ( Romans 8:15 ) and the change in the believer's status with God that results (Galatians 4:6-7 ). "Abba" Holman Bible Dictionary.

The Kingdom of God

"In His preaching Jesus regularly invited people to enter the kingdom of God, that is, to open their lives to the ruling of God. It is important to notice whom He invited. He invited everyone. That is the great surprise." Article on "The Kingdom of God" Holman Bible Dictionary.

Jesus on Prayer

Bob Deffinbaugh describes how, when we pray 'your kingdom come' “we pray for the spread of the gospel and the establishment of the rule and reign of the Father in the hearts of men and women. We pray for the welfare of the distressed and oppressed. We pray for physical healing, deliverance, change of hearts, broken relationships, and such things as would change with an acceptance of the Father and His ways. We also look forward to Jesus’ return to live and rule among us.” Bob Deffinbaugh, "The Prayer Jesus Prayed" Excellent commentary on the Lord's Prayer.

The Kingdom of God

"In His preaching Jesus regularly invited people to enter the kingdom of God, that is, to open their lives to the ruling of God. It is important to notice whom He invited. He invited everyone. That is the great surprise. He did not restrict the invitation…" "The Kingdom of God" Holman Bible Dictionary

The Year of Jubilee

"The Year of Jubilee" Holman Bible Dictionary

Forgiving One Another

What does the Bible say about forgiving one another?

Matthew 6:13

Matthew 6.13 is translated in several different ways. Note some translations say "Deliver us from evil" while others say "Deliver us from the Evil One." Note also that the KJV includes a doxology at the end of the verse, omitted in most modern translations: "It is absent in the oldest and best manuscripts of Matthew, and most scholars do not consider it part of the original text."

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