REAL PRAYER - God Our Father

Introduction

Opening Story (ME):

Welcome and Thank: Glad to see Stella Hall and Dave Snider back in church - PTL - for His healing touch and for watching over all of us and keeping us safe. Those who worked at the church yesterday. Amanda and the WT. Those who are getting into prayer at a deeper level.

ANY TESTIMONIES of what the Lord is doing in your life so far - don’t be shy - speak right up!

Thankful each week for your presence, for your prayers, and your financial support which is so needed to make our little church grow and meet the needs of those we have been called to serve - we are the voice, hands, feet, and bank account of God in this place.

Story: The PLAY GROUND BULLY meets his match!

Why: We NEED to KNOW and BELIEVE: GREATER is OUR FATHER than anything we will ever face - EVEN death itself! HE is for US so WHO can be against us - NO ONE!

1 John 4:4 (ESV) 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

TEXT:

English Standard Version (Chapter 6:5-13)

The Lord’s Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“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 this day 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 evil.

PRAYER

WHAT

· What do they need to know (INFORMATION)?

Question (WE):

· In light of what I’ve discovered from the text and the insights I’ve gained along the way, what is the one thing they need to know?

As a motivation for PRAYER: We NEED to KNOW and BELIEVE: GREATER is OUR FATHER than anything we will ever face - EVEN death itself! HE is for US so WHO can be against us - NO ONE!

· Why do they need to know it (MOTIVATION - the why behind the what)?

KNOWING GOD in CHRIST fulfills the purpose for which we were created - GOD wants to be with us - He LOVES US and wants to display HIS GLORY in and through those created in His image - the imago Dei.

o What will happen to the person who never discovers the truth or principle you are about to discuss?

If they fail to KNOW GOD - they will miss His wonderful plan for their life and their eternal salvation.

o What is at stake for them?

A HEALTHY PRAYER LIFE is crucial for living a victorious Christian life of PEACE and JOY versus living in FEAR and ANXIETY - thereby MISSING GOD’s BEST for THEM!

Text(GOD):

The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible (Matthew 6:1–18)

Praying (6:5–15). The pretentious prayer of hypocrites (6:5–6). Prayer can be perverted from a true act of piety into an act of hypocrisy when the external act masks an inner corrupt motive. In contrast, Jesus directs his disciples, when they pray, to go to their inner “room.” The focus is on the intimacy of communion with God in one’s heart, which is at the center of all prayer, whether it happens to be given publicly or privately.

The repetitious prayer of pagans (6:7–8). Though God already knows, we should not hesitate to ask. Long, continued prayer is not improper, because Jesus himself prayed through whole nights. He also commended in a parable the perseverance of the widow in prayer and repeated the same request in his prayer to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. Prayer is much about changing us, our character, our will, and our values, even while we seek for God’s response.

SO WHAT

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. After defining what prayer should not be, Jesus moves into how to pray. His prayer opens immediately with a statement about God. God is “our Father.” The very first word in the Lord’s Prayer is a communal word: “our” (Matthew 6:9). God is not your Father in the possessive sense, nor is he a father limited to a small group. He is “our Father.” That is, God is the Father of all who believe (Ephesians 4:6).

2. The Greek word for Father here is pater. It can mean father in the traditional sense, but it also has the metaphorical meaning of originator. In this sense, through prayer, the believer recognizes God’s role not only in their life, but in the life and existence of everything in creation. For God is not just the Father; he is also the Creator.

S1: The way Jesus uses “my Father” to address his heavenly Father is exceptional because Jesus is the unique Son (e.g., Matt 7:21; 12:50). But by calling his disciples to share in the kingdom of heaven, they now have entered into a relationship with his Father as well.

S2: RELATIONSHIP: the right motive for prayer is praying to be heard by God and to be in His presence - to better know "Our Father," communicate, have intimate fellowship and draw closer to Him (to know Him) - correct HEART MOTIVE is the key.

3. John Stott points out that beginning the prayer by addressing who God is and where God is located, it creates a difference between who we are and who God is. Stott writes, “If he is in reality ‘our Father in heaven’ … then and only then does it become possible (indeed, essential) to give his concerns priority and to become preoccupied with his name, his kingdom and his will” and not ours (John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, The Bible Speaks Today [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1978], 151).

4. After acknowledging God’s status as Father and Creator, Jesus tells believers to say, “hallowed be your name.” The Greek word for hallowed, like pater, can have multiple meanings. The first is to take God’s name seriously and respectfully and the second is not to associate it with anything profane or ungodly. It is worth pausing to consider this: “Hallowed be your name” is the first thing Jesus instructs his believers to ask for. God’s name is placed above and before the petitioner’s individual name. Jesus wants us to learn, through prayer, to take God’s holiness seriously.

S3: A personal relationship with God: a Father-son or daughter relationship is absolutely essential. God is our Father; He is available as fathers are available to their children. We are to go to Him, pray, share, commune and let Him shower us with His care and protection and meet our every need (Ps. 91:1).

S4: God’s name (6:9). The purpose of hallowing the name (the name signifies the person) is that God might be sanctified or set apart as holy among all peoples and in all actions. Jesus’s disciples will honor God’s name in their prayers, but especially as they submit to his power - the REIGN of God!

5. The Lord’s Prayer, while short and simple, can still be a means of bringing people to God. Its words may seem mysterious, but in the mystery of saying things like “hallowed be your name,” a spark of faith can be born. Ken Bailey tells the story of teaching new believers in Latvia after the fall of the USSR. Speaking with one of them he is surprised to learn they never went to church, never had any family member instruct them in the faith, and never had a secret Bible to study. Curious how this new believer came to faith, he asked her, and she said, “At funerals we were allowed to recite the Lord’s Prayer. As a young child I heard those strange words and had no idea who we were talking to, what the words meant. … When you are in total darkness, the tiniest point of light is very bright. For me the Lord’s Prayer was that point of light. By the time I found its meaning I was a Christian” (Ken Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels [Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008], 91).

S5: KEYS to REAL LIFE in PRAYER

* "Abide in Christ..."

* "Know "Our Father" - LOVE HIM FIRST..."

* "Trust Him - OBEY - Do what He says..."

* "Give it all to Him in PRAYER..."

S6: The purpose of prayer is to come into alignment with God’s (our Father's) will: To experience the reality of HIS REIGN - ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN...

S7: * Prayer is not getting God to do things your way. It is getting you to do things His way.

* Prayer is not getting your will in heaven. It’s getting God’s will on earth.

* Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It’s taking hold of His willingness - REJOICE!

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

6. Teaching that God is our Father was radical in the time of Jesus and still is today. It implies a level of intimacy that many religions find uncomfortable. In Islam, there are ninety-nine titles or names for God, but “Father” isn’t one. Islam believes speaking of God as “Father” will lead to idolatry. The nature of a personal relationship to God as Father is unique to Christianity (Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, 98). Nevertheless, Jesus wants believers to understand that God is their Father and to grow that relationship through prayer.

Application (YOU):

What do they need to do (specific application)?

Big Idea of the Message: The name of God deserves your attention and respect - JUST DO IT!

Application Point: When you approach God in prayer, do you approach him as a loving Father or a distant mystery? HE is YOUR FATHER - He KNOWS YOU and LOVES YOU ANYWAY! (Romans 5:8). Come to Him like, a humble child, and pour out to Him all your cares and worries - GIVE IT ALL TO HIM - and you will KNOW His PEACE which “passes understanding...” LEARN from Him, REST in HIM - “PRACTICE the PRESENCE” whenever you get the chance - ALL the TIME - EVERYDAY be on the LOOK OUT for HIM - He is WAITING for YOU to COME TO HIM and WANTS to SIMPLY BE WITH YOU! This is the STORY that GOD wants all people to know about - HE is FOR US!

S8: PRAY MORE and WORRY LESS which leads to a life of JOY and PEACE - a "GOD BREATHED" - "REAL LIFE" of "becoming and doing" what you were always designed for... to put the glory of God "Our Father" on DISPLAY ("hallowed be His name") as a NEW CREATION in Christ Jesus!

Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV) 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

NOW WHAT

Challenge (WE):

In truth, do you have PEACE in your life or are you being ruled by the constant strain of life and giving in to the anxiety and fear which is all too prevalent in our times? I believe that living with FEAR and being ANXIOUS about just about everything is how many people (probably most people) live today. Phil Robertson, one of my spiritual mentors says that: “peace is the rarest commodity on the earth” and I believe that he is right… After all, in this world of the end that we are living in, nothing seems certain, and the very foundations are “moving beneath our feet.” Every day there is another thing to worry about, or potential danger on the horizon clamoring for our attention on our 24/7 media feeds, from pestilence and famine, to wars and rumors of wars, political unrest and scandal.

However, in these times we can GIVE THANKS that we are not without hope as those who are trusting in the world. We can LIFT OUR EYES to where our help comes from, and CELEBRATE - REJOICE because we are LOVED and because of what Christ has done - We are NEVER ALONE. HE is HERE and we have the greatest resource in the world: PRAYER and a living relationship with our loving Father who is WAITING for us to come into His presence and ask for what we need at all times… “The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Thus, in these times, it is critical that we do not live as the world does, or succumb to fear and anxiety but to live with hope ETERNAL… We need to serve as a LIVING TESTIMONY to the life transforming power of God for all who are: “in Christ.” - THIS MEANS YOU and it means ME as well!

Are you “in Christ?” In your heart do you believe in Him alone for your salvation? - have you publically confessed that He is your Lord and Saviour? If not, then now is your time. But if you have, then remember this truth that should give you much PEACE and a reason to REJOICE no matter what may come into your life:

Why: We NEED to KNOW and BELIEVE: GREATER is OUR FATHER than anything we will ever face in the world- EVEN death itself! HE is for US so WHO can be against us - NO ONE!

1 John 4:4 (ESV) 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 Corinthians 15:53-58 (ESV)

53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

How can I help them remember (REITERATION)?

As you leave today, to help you remember and respond: One good precept for a healthy spiritual life is: When you find truth - ACT ON IT! In nature, or the things that bring you joy, remember they are “gifts of grace” loving provision from God to YOU (our Heavenly Father is the author of all good things!)… PRACTICE the PRESENCE: Take the time to LOOK and LISTEN for your Heavenly Father calling you to “come away” and spend a few minutes with Him. He is ALL AROUND and the EVIDENCE of HIS GLORY is RIGHT in FRONT of US at all times - IF we are willing and have: EYES to SEE and EARS to HEAR… DO YOU? Then use them… DRAW NEAR to HIM and HE will DRAW NEAR to YOU!!!

James 4:7-8a (English Standard Version)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you..

Closing:

Sticky Phrase:

S9: The ONE THING: KNOW GOD in Christ - “Our Father” and TRUST in HIM!

IMAGINE for a moment, what would happen in our lives if ALL of us simply took God at His Word and became willing to PRAY in this TRUSTING MANNER.. I believe the RESULT will be a: “GOD BREATHED - REAL CHURCH.”

S10: REAL CHURCH = “God Breathed”

People in Community , loving the lord and one another, dreaming god's vision, believing Christ's victory, and living out the Spirit's work - resulting in transformed lives.