Abba Father Series

Play God-Co Prayer Video

Article- PC World- filled w/truth- unlike spurious gospel- Mac World- listed 10 highly over-rated high-tech products and 10 that received little publicity- are greatly underrated. In the same vein- relying on- strength/wisdom of man is highly overrated and the significance and power of prayer is highly underrated.

When experience difficulties- often feel we must do something ourselves to solve the problem.

In most situations we would be far ahead of the game to 1st engage God through earnest prayer.

2 Cor 1:8-11

Paul’s life- spared because of prayer- his/others.

Introduction

Talk about prayer as continue w/SOTM series-Mt 5-7

This morning- look at- Lord’s Prayer- Mtt 6:9-13.

Repeat the Lord’s prayer after me …

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. NASU

V7-9

Jesus said- This is how we should pray, not,

This is what we should pray.

Not wrong to memorize and pray the Lord’s prayer, but we must guard against empty repetition.

In Lord’s Prayer- find six petitions.

The first three are concerned directly w/God …

His glory, His kingdom, His will.

Only after we have focused on God does Jesus introduce three petitions concerned w/man …

our material, spiritual, and moral needs.

Before examining six petitions- look at first line.

First Line: Our Father Who is in heaven

First word … OUR! Not MY Father.

We are not called to serve God in a vacuum/alone.

When- Bible talks about becoming- disciple- speaks in terms of becoming a child of God.

Rom 8:14-17

We are called- be part of the corporate Body of Christ.

We are obviously called to individual, secret prayer.

However, there is a time to …

pray for others, and not just ourselves, and

pray with others, not just by ourselves.

Concern-some try- walk w/God alone-not part of body

Second word … Father.

Calling God Father was foreign to the Jews who always spoke of God in more exalted terms.

He was the Sovereign Lord/King of the Universe.

When Jesus uses- term Father- not in general sense that God is- Father of all men/we are His children.

Distinction between- children of God and the world.

1 Jn 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. NASU

We become His children through faith in His name.

Our Father Who is in heaven- in this we see-God is-

personal- Our Father,

loving- Father is a term of endearment

powerful- Our Father who is in heaven.

He is not only good, but He is great. John Stott

In this prayer we begin to understand that God is above us- He is the center of all life, not us.

The prayer says … Our Father who is in heaven.

To the Jews- God was so exalted that He was beyond personal relationships.

Today, however, He has become so much our friend, that we have lost a sense of His transcendence.

Transcendence- outside of ordinary human limits or experience- God is other than man.

We have treated God too casually- become irreverent.

Petition 1: Hallowed be Your name

Names have significance in the Bible- they tell us something about the person.

Names of God reveal who He is …

God the Most High, God Almighty, I AM.

1Pe 3:15 But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord ... AMP

Set apart- same word as hallow- sanctify.

God’s name is to be treated as holy and something altogether other/different than who we are as men.

There is a sense where you could say …

God work in me to make me holy, so I can see your holiness/glory.

The more we see of our own sinfulness, the clearer we see God’s holiness, and the holier we can become.

It is seeing my sinfulness that points to God’s holiness.

We are constantly being pressured to conform to the self-centeredness of our culture- as a result …

more concerned about our name than His name.

Petition #2 Your kingdom come

First, must recognize that God is always sovereign and rules over all creation- whether we pray or not.

As He is already holy so he is already King, reigning in absolute sovereignty over both nature and history. John Stott

This is serious prayer, but perhaps- take it too lightly.

If we were living in a state of poverty and persecution, we might be more inclined to pray this seriously.