Just A Reminder Pt. 4
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 6:9-13 fd
In Luke 11, one of the disciples said to Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray....”
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
I told you last week that we were going to start Celebration of Discipline this week, but I lied..
At least that was the plan and then it changed...
We will get to Celebration of Discipline, I think!
For now, I felt like the Lord led me directly to the Lord’s prayer for today...
Let’s break down the Lord’s prayer this morning...
Starting with the first word of the prayer “our”
1. “Our”
1. “Our”
According to the Collins dictionary online, the word “ours” is a: “first person plural possessive determiner”
Meaning it is used “to indicate that something belongs or relates both to yourself and to one or more other people.”
So, getting past all of the Greek and English of it all, it basically comes down to this:
This prayer is something that should be said with others...
The idea is not that we pray this alone as in “my Father,” but that we pray we pray this together with other believers as in “our Father”
This prayer should be part of our community gathering..
Can we pray this prayer alone, absolutely…it’s just not exclusively a personal prayer...
But also, the Bible is a community book..
If you read scripture from cover to cover, you will see an overwhelming amount of proof that the Christian life is not just about me and God alone on an island...
It’s about all of God’s people.. the Church, the Body of Christ...
So, when we come together, we should pray in this way...
We certainly can pray this literally word-for-word, but I think the concept is in the outline of it…which we are discussing the morning..
So, first, it is “our” Father. As we pray to in community...
2. We Pray to Our “Father” in Heaven
2. We Pray to Our “Father” in Heaven
We need to remember that Jesus taught us to pray to our Father....
Does this mean that we should not pray to Jesus or the HS?
The short answer I have is “no.”
Let’s remember a few things...
As Jesus was teaching this to His disciples, He had not died yet and the Holy Spirit had not come and dwelt among them...
So, Jesus is teaching them how to pray in the “then and now” sense...
So, after Jesus ascended to the Father, does that mean that we should pray differently
No, and Yes
Let’s start with “No”
No, it doesn't change the prayer or template...
I do believe it is still applicable and something we should pray today...
The principles and layout is still a great, or should we say, perfect, model for us to follow!
Now for the yes…should we pray differently…sure, but certainly not a requirement...
I’d say rather than change, I would say expanded...
I believe that now we are able and allowed to pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit..
Why?
Well, we know through great theological study, that God is a Triune God...
Meaning, He is one God in three persons...
So, when we pray to one of the persons, the other hears it…one God...
But also, each is a distinct person, and therefore, we can communicate with them...
Jesus tells us in John 14
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
So, we know that Jesus and the Father are one…so, if we do speak to Him, we know the Father hears it..
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Here Jesus says that He is going to the Father and whatever we ask in His name, He will do it...
So, He is still actively listening and working even thought He went to the Father..
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
So, now Jesus points out that He will send the Spirit to guide us into all truth…and this Spirit is within us..
Jesus continues in
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
So, if the Holy Spirit is our advocate, would it be wrong to pray to Him?
We know that the HS guides us into all truth..so if we are struggling, would it be wrong to pray to Him?
I don’t think so...
I think we can pray, Holy Spirit, please help me to understand this situation...
We know another role of the Holy Spirit is to comfort and guide us..
So, can we pray HS please comfort me?
I don’t see why not
Additionally, Paul says..
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
If we find that we have grieved the HS, is it wrong to apologize to Him?
It wouldn’t make sense to apologize to one of the other persons...
Likewise, is it wrong to thank Jesus for dying on the cross?
It wouldn’t make sense to thank the Father or HS for doing that...
To summarize…we know Jesus and the Father are one, we know that Jesus ascended back to the Father where He intercedes for us and does whatever we ask in His name..
We know that the HS guides, comforts, leads us into truth and many other things..
The HS is inside of us..
Thus, I don’t think it’s wrong to pray to any person of the trinity...
Personally, I pray to whichever I want to talk to in the moment based on their function...
So, for someone to be filled with God, I pray to the HS because we know that is who fills people..
When I pray for forgiveness I pray to the Father as He is the one who forgives...
When I pray for healing I pray to Jesus typically, but also the Father at time, as we know both heal people..
And, do I think you can pray wrong?
Maybe, in a theological sense, but in a practical since, no…God is big enough, He knows what you want/need...
Thankfully, He is a God of grace!
So, Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in heaven...
This is a loving Father...
God has all of the attributes of a Father...
He loves His children, He provides for them, He saves them, He protects them, He guides and directs them...
When we pray to Him, we acknowledge that He is our Father!
We come before Him with our requests as if He is a caring Father...
Jesus says:
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
So, ask Him!
The answer might be yes…the answer might be no…but we know at the end of the day, what God does, He does as our loving and caring Father...
His plan and will is good and perfect!
Now, I know that some of us have not had a good experience with a Good Father who loves us...
The idea of a Father to takes care of us, loves us, protects us, wants us…may not exits...
But, please, if you can even try and imagine a Father who would love you, care for you, protect you, and want you…it is Him!
He wants you so bad, and loves you so much…that He went to the cross for you!
Maybe you had a Father that hurt you…or abandoned you..or didn’t want you...
But this one…He died for you!
In His love…and in His sovereignty - that means all of His power, authority, and wisdom...
He saw that you were broken and hurting and had separated yourself from Him...
And rather than turning His back on you…or saying “you did this to yourself”
He came near....on a cross....
So that we can come near to Him...
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
That’s our Father in heaven!
I don’t know who is hear this morning that needs to hear this message...
Maybe you spend your whole life thinking God is sitting in heaven waiting to strike you dead at any moment...
Let me tell you, that’s not true! If He wanted to do that, you would already be dead!
He is not the vengeful wrathful God that wants to strike you dead…He’s the loving Father to the prodigal Son...
God isn’t punishing you for your sin…your sin does enough of that…He is offering a way out!
A way of righteousness, life, love, and freedom!
Jesus came to set the captives free, not take captives
So, maybe you have spent your life thinking God is mad at you…He is not mad at you, He wants you to come home!
I’m going to steal for Pastor Don Warren this morning…and I’m paraphrasing...
the gospel isn’t that Christ lived, Christ died, Christ resurrected, and Christ ascended to the Father...
No that’s not the gospel…that’s history....
The gospel is that Christ lived, Christ died, Christ resurrected, and Christ ascended to the Father..for you!
It’s not the gospel until it’s personal!
It is just facts, until you receive it...
So, as we wrap up this morning...
Our Father, who is in heaven…wants you!