Pray to the Father

WELCOME

Good Morning One Hope

Name / Matt 6:9-10 / Bibles

Two Week Series - Pray Like Jesus — Thru Lord’s Prayer

Most Famous, Most Well Known Prayers

You ever known someone and wished you had their faith? they seem so knowledgable and joyful.

This is what the disciples noticed in Jesus.

He seemed to know how to pray with power and passion.

`We wish we knew God as You know Him. (Lloyd Jones)

they wanted that. So that asked him.

Lord, teach us to pray.

Luke 11:1 ESV

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

THE PATTERN OF PRAYER

But Jesus is not teaching us to pray these words exactly.

Rather, is is showing us HOW TO PRAY

He is giving us a PATTERN OF PRAYER.

This PRAYER CONTAINS EVERYTHING — it is COMPLETE.

THE LORD’S PRAYER TEACHES US:

WHO WE SHOULD PRAY TO

HOW WE SHOULD PRAY

WHAT WE SHOULD PRAY FOR

WHAT IS PRAYER?

A CONVERSATION

We speak to God — Prayer

He speaks to us — in Prayer, PRI through Scripture, and his church

PRAY

Nation. Lift up the name of Jesus.

WHO WE PRAY TO: THE FATHER

Matthew 6:9 “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven’”“

The first thing we see is that Jesus indeed does tell us to pray— “When you pray...”

The very first word (in greek) is CRUCIAL for everything that follows

FATHER OF US (OUR FATHER)

This is perhaps the MOST SIGNFICANT WORD.

God is OUR FATHER.

Q: Do you know the difference between God as Creator and God as Father?

Like why doesn’t Jesus just pray “Our Creator” ?

The difference = RELATIONSHIP

My kids can come to me

There is a warmth, a love to the Father-child relationship.

Some do not HAVE GOOD FEELINGS w/ the WORD FATHER

but try to imagine everything you wish a father was.

Loving, encouraging, present, caring, involved, invested.

This is God, our FATHER

PRAY LIKE CHILDREN

Who do kids go to when they want or need something?

Ans: Their Parents.

Why? B/C they know they these are the people that God has put on this earth to take care of them, to know them, to love them, to instruct them.

This is espically true of younger kids.

In this, we have something to learn from kids in our we relate to God, our Father.

Matthew 18:3–4 ESV

and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

What does this mean?

It means we all grew up and became FOOLISH.

We thought that ‘honoring God’ was we wouldn’t NEED HIM

But true growth in God is growing in our knowledge of our NEED OF HIM

God is glorified when we have our needs met in him.

IN HEAVEN

Q: WHERE IS OUR FATHER

Notice it says “in heaven”

What does that mean?

First it means that he is ETERNAL, INFINITE AND ALMIGHTY

Secondly it means that he is NEAR.

Heaven is not so much a different PLACE as it is a DIFFERENT PLANE

Luke 17:20-21 “‘The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

The Father then, is always Near.

FATHER THROUGH JESUS

Q: How did God become our Father?

ANS: Jesus:

Jesus calls him “My Father”

Matthew 26:39 ESV

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

When we believe in Jesus we are made children of God

John 1:12 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

ADOPTION into the family of God

It’s why it’s so IMPORTANT THAT YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS.

It’s how we get into the FAMILY OF GOD.

WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR

THREE THINGS we ask for: NOTICE ALL - GOD-CENTERED

GOD’S GLORY

GOD’S KINGDOM TO COME

GOD’S WILL BE DONE

When we pray, we dont’ start with us, we start with God.

1. HONOR TO YOUR NAME

Matt 6:9b “Hallowed be your name”

What does this mean?

CSB “your name be honored as holy”

Hallow = make holy, to honor, respect.

The first thing we pray:

That God’s Name be honored, lifted up, respected, revered.

Basically, may your name be GLORIFIED

Is the first thing we pray, the thing we most care about, the thing we long for most...

GOD’S NAME BE LIFTED UP — NOT MY NAME

This is the highest prayer, the highes call, the greatest desire.

That the name of the lord be honored among the nations.

And of course: we can start with us.

IS GOD’S NAME HONORED IN MY LIFE?

OR IS MY NAME?

John the Baptist:

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

2. YOUR KINGDOM COME

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come”

Q: What is God’s Kingdom?

Ans: Anywhere that God is reigning.

The whole world is under the power of the evil one (John 14:30, 1 John 5:19)

We were all born as children of wrath (Eph 2:1)

You want to know what’s wrong with the world?

God’s Kingdom has not fully come.

It means, that God isn’t reignign and ruling in the hearts of men and women.

And so we long for this…we pray for this.

We want people to HEAR ABOUT JESUS

SHARE THE GOSPEL

2 people in last 2 months have given their lives to Jesus

Baptism in January

Kids you can do this to!

So again we can ask ourselves:

IS GOD’S KINGDOME COMING THROUGH MY LIFE?

OR IS MY KINGDOM COMING?

3. YOUR WILL BE DONE

Matthew 6:10 “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

What this means then is GOD’S WILL BE DONE, NOT OURS.

And so we pray that ‘thy will be done’ rather than “my will be done”

Jesus prayed this in his hour of deepest distress.

Matthew 26:39 ESV

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Here more clearly than anywhere the purpose of prayer becomes plain: not to make God do my will (which is practicing magic), but to bring my will into line with his (which is what it means to practice true religion). (Packer 180)

God’s will is ALWAYS DONE in HEAVEN

Q: What is God’s will?

That his Kingdom would Come! — Sharing the Gospel

God has a will for OUR LIVES

DETERMINING GOD’S WILL:

What is God saying to us in Prayer?

What is God’s Word saying to us?

What are the circumstances?

What are God’s people saying to us?

And again, it starts with us:

GOD, IS YOUR WILL BEING DONE IN MY LIFE?

OR IS IT MY WILL BEING DONE?

KIDS OBEYING PARENTS / PARENTS OBEYING GOD.

APPLICATION

This then, is how we should pray.

To OUR FATHER

For HIS GLORY

for HIS KINGDOM TO COME

for HIS WILL TO BE DONE.

Prayer is first and foremost — radically God-Centered.

One Hope Church — Can we begin to pray this way in 2020?

PRAY FOR 15 MIN

The PATTERN for prayer is laid out by Jesus.

It’s first and foremost about God

LET’S PRAY

Pray together as a family for a few minutes

Then I WILL CLOSE US.