Learn the First Words of Prayer from the First Pray-er: 'Father' & 'Friend'
Notes
Transcript
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
While the most basic meaning of the most common OT word for prayer is simply to ask, to humble yourself and in your need to cry out Help. And while the NT word means to lay your self and your need down low in the ground before the LORD; it is also true that praying well, praying effectively is not just a matter of polishing your asking skills, or making yourself really humble. Getting to technique just so.
That may be true of non-Christain prayer, even of meditation of emptyin ghte mind, that you just need pointedrs on how to get into the groove, or just make the right lists, as if amgical moment achieved by your saying the right wrods, - asif ritual activity, state of mind.
But that doesn’t follow. The heart of Christain prayer is not about getting th words, the technique, or our atitudes right. The heart of Christain prayer, - the sine qua non - is about getting the relatinoship right. This is why Jesus empahsis was not just on praying, but praying in His Name, praying in relationships to God through a emdiator , through Christ. QA 117 gives three conditions of truly Christain prayer - relationship of asking - that is:
i. interacting iwth the Word of God - relationship in which listening so tied to speaking. Simple communication - no one way street - like an electirical circuit, path way not just from you, but back to you - can’t have circuit jammer - not just expressive, but receptive language. For instance in premarital counseling, communication one of the most important topics, and often think how to speak well of feeling,s informatinon, but most neglected part of communication - is listening - becoming an active listener.
ii. The second part of true Christain prayer is that the humbling is there because something else is there. What else is there when you really pray in Christ’s name? Better who else is there. The Almighty God is there, and the humbling is less about an attitude we got to get into - so lowly… and more about the relitionship that results from being in the presence of God’s greatness.! Why speaks of coming into his presence - enter hsi gates with thanksgiving = in city where kig would sit, render decisionds and business deal transact; and his courts - unwalled city…
iii. The third part of truly Christian prayer is God actually listening to our request and most certainly answering it because of and trhough the Person and Work of the God-man. Jesus Christ. And this is the biggest deal. God certainly hears and we could say sometimes answers the cry of a heart of those outside of Christ, but taht isn’t Christain prayer, and there is no guarantee that real prayer is offered and answer outsdie of calling on God through the NAme!.
And tonight I want to shock into relaizing what a wonderful thing Crhstian prayer is, and what a privelege is offered you in this avenue of relationing to God, by saying as my first startling point, that
A. Prayer is a Privilege of living in Jesus’ relationship with God!
This may come as a surprise to you but Jesus, the perfect Son of God incarnate in human flesh, in His earthly days of ministry - actaully lived on prayer. More than that th eterna l Son of God from before eternity to eternity future - the Son of God, even without thinking of his incarnation, actually lives, exisits only through prayer! Jesus said,
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Do you get that the Son always depends on his Father. As Michael Reeves puts it - that is who Jesus is eternally, For the Son of God, everyting flows from his communion with His Father, And so for eternity he has enjoyed communion with Him and he has “prayed” to Him. This is what it means that the Son of God, is eternally begotten! That as puts it:
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
There is a communion marked by the Son of ever reflecting who the Father is between the Father and the Son. THe Son from eternity, and Jessu at work on earth - always enjoying that kind of communioction and reflecting. And Jesus job in our salvation is to share that kind of communion that He has with God teh Father, with you, so you have that communion, listening, and reflecting back . Michael Reeves puts it this way: “Prayer is learning to enjoy what Jesus has always enjoyed.”
And so as we see Jesus praying, as the disciples ask not just for a few tenchnizes or a rote liturgy of prayer, but they ask Jesus teach us to pray th way that you pray; we need to see taht Jesus is the first prayer not you or me. And taht if we want to pray Christianly, it is all about entering into this commuion with the Father through Jesus, not about any other tenchinize or ritual.
And this should come as a big relief - ie Luther - letter… Truth is technize liturgy helpful and important but without the sin qua non of communion through Jesus, distortion. But once you see that Jesus unique relationships is wone of being the first prayer, and that His salvaiton is for you and I to enter into that type of commuioin with GOd., takes so much of the perfeormance and empty hearted pressure off.
B. The 1st First Word in Prayer is ‘Father’.
NOn Christain prayers, no matter how earnest pray to a transcendent God, but one wihtout Christ. We pray to a Triune God who is holy, but who comiong to us in Christ, brings the Father to us to be our open armed Father. That is Jesus first lesson about prayer, and it is a comand to Chrstian to pray to God as Father, like he does. Got a text this week frpom one of my kids, bad news … of course a little sad about that news, but it makes my heart sing that he would not only share it with me, but even seek my comfort or advice in delain with it. And I can’t do much about it, but Jesus Father and our Father - is the ALmighty, All Knowing, Everywehre present, all wise God - all resources of the universe at his disposale, knows the ggbegining from the end, and HE can do something about the spot in life we find ourselves, And Christian prayer knows that even more for God the Father - there was not only a delight in hearing His Son and actually dleivering the help - but for every true son or daughter - the Father still delights and helps at their cries.!
Doyou understand more than all the techniques and even the actual content of our prayers (see rich variety in Scritpure), is the quality of this relationship. Is a palce ofr the disicpline of prayer, place even for set prayers, set time of prayer, but the essence is not those disciplines and words, but this partiicpating in a relationship with our Father through Christ.
This is why the Holy Spirit enables us to call out Abba Father and groan with prayers too deep for words within us. Do you pray to God as Father, inly really do that with feeling and experience, if you pray belieiving the gospel of Jesus. That’s why the doctrine of ADOPTION so central to the Christain life!
J. I. Packer wrote in KNOWING GOD, ‘If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means he does not understand Christianity very well at all.’2 Packer’s right, for to address God as Father and mean it is to understand the gospel well. It means you understand that the Son, who has been eternally ‘in the bosom of the Father’ (, as translated from the original Greek), has come to bring us that we might be with him there, and that we who have rejected him might be brought back – and brought back not merely as creatures but as children, to enjoy the abounding love the Son has always known.
My Dad was over, walked in the woods, slowly and with walking stick,s we palyed a couple games of chess, we remineced and remebered former times, we talked about future, palns, and present struggles. But any time did I feel like this is a discipline… set ; no doubt whole life tine habits established since I was a kid. routines about when get together - but none of that is the heart of actually commuing with each other. And we get to do that through Christ with the living God of the universe who has all the tine inthe world and in fact in eternity to attend to His bleoved Children!
My Dad was over, walked in the woods, slowly and with walking stick,s we palyed a couple games of chess, we remineced and remebered former times, we talked about future, palns, and present struggles. But any time did I feel like this is a discipline… set ; no doubt whole life tine habits established since I was a kid. routines about when get together - but none of that is the heart of actually commuing with each other. And we get to do that through Christ with the living God of the universe who has all the tine inthe world and in fact in eternity to attend to His bleoved Children!
My Dad was over, walked in the woods, slowly and with walking stick,s we palyed a couple games of chess, we remineced and remebered former times, we talked about future, palns, and present struggles. But any time did I feel like this is a discipline… set ; no doubt whole life tine habits established since I was a kid. routines about when get together - but none of that is the heart of actually commuing with each other. And we get to do that through Christ with the living God of the universe who has all the tine inthe world and in fact in eternity to attend to His bleoved Children!
Why prayer is so tied to the Scrptures - so often in repsonse to lsitening to God’s Word - delighting in the relationship wqith we have, there, onoing prayer. Again Michael Reeve’s points out if you don’t like spenind g time with God in prayer - maybe because not delighting in this communion that you can in Jesus … Beliving the gospel.
Why prayer is so tied to the Scrptures - so often in repsonse to lsitening to God’s Word - delighting in the relationship wqith we have, there, onoing prayer. Again Michael Reeve’s points out if you don’t like spenind g time with God in prayer - maybe because not delighting in this communion that you can in Jesus … Beliving the gospel.
C. The 2nd First Word in Prayer is ‘Friend’
Jesus tells a parable in . After preaching a sermon on this, a man who came to ur evning services in Grimsby wehre I did my interment, sai I want you to have this poiaint of mine - Now it is true the three loaves are the point of that parable. What you need, really asked for - and delivered because come knocking on heaven’s door - believe the stuff we need and ask in Jesus name reveicei a… Prayer really makes a adifference, and praying to living God. But what is the first Wor din prayer that Jesus teaches in this parable. Not Father. But this amazing look at it:
And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,
I love what Michael Reeves says about this verse: “ Praying is enjoying – and pleading for – the friendship and friendly assistance of God.” Do you remember what I sahred with you about No longer do I call you servants, but friends. Remain servants, but special title of friend of the King, remmber I shared how Barak Obama - still preseident, frine dhired as assitant. When speak still the president speaking and commanding, but allows that person, not to become co-kings with him, but takes into confidence lets knows the plans, and ambitiions, and values, That’s about fellowship!
Do you get that - Jesus doesn’t tell this parable to get us to find some hidden magical formula to get everyting we ask for in prayer. No what is the point of the delay in this friend not giving the three loaves right away. OUr heavnely Father and Friend is teaching us how to pesevere in prayer not as a mean power trip. In fact God is always giving us what we need and beyond without us asking at all. Providence and grace. But God wants fellowship with us, like what He was doing with Moses and traning his heart to intercede for God’s people, trianing us to argue his proimses and his chracter him. To refine and shap[ren what are those requests I am asking for, why do I really want this answer in prayer, how much do I really love and act for the people and cause I am praying, … am I ever more conscious of My Friend’s abilkity and chracter and do I have apprecitation for this Frieend as the Source of all Blessing.
Look at the punchline of these short parables
Reeves, Michael. Enjoy Your Prayer Life (Kindle Locations 172-173). 10Publishing. Kindle Edition.
What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
Our God is to us in Christ, is willing and attnetively kind - and we are to regularly and persistently enter commuioin with that relaity. Why recall manna, why Jesus says we pray for daily bread. Our God that involved in daily provision, and we are to ask and wait upon HIm. In the OT when Israel no longer called to him; people in their homes didn’t have real Christian prayer communion and calling out help for everything, listening to what His desire is and alginging their lives according to it; God would not help Israel. Do you feel this blessing does not comne naturally - ther ein o automatic in this supernautral yet broken world we live in - ultiamtely onlyblessing foudn is in the Lord, and prayer is to be an experesision of that!
LIsten to
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Made a visit some time back - someone going thtough circumstances hard to wroship publically - we read - about being like a weaned child - not anxious soul - honest lives so often like frantic unweaned kid in back seat hungry… prayer through Christ - - that postiino of humble depdenence and waiting onthe LORD ; Also Read simple Psalm too that describe sthe life of prayer with another type of look. Not a weaned child with mother; but maidserant eyes to the hand of her mistress… Anna in Downton Abbey. Butler to trusted lord. Goign to give me and outfit me, and blieve in me to carry out perfect will, overcome obstacles, carryon with joy - life plooted out for me.
If we can learn to pray in this relationships with God as helpful FRIEND and Providing FATHER - understand prayer is less a a ladder to God or an exercise Christain must do to win favour, and more a privellege to be enjoyed. Prayer doesn’t make you more accepted. Pryaer is gorwing in the apprecitino of what you have been given.
Do you get that? Been given new position in Christ, with the Ftehr, entered into His commuinon withthe Father. JOhn Calvin put it this way: “When we pray, it is as were we are praying through Jesus’ mouth!” The Father always delighted and answered the Son’s prayer, and in Christ when we truly pray, we are praying as Christ! This is why Calvin said, your prayer and my prayer is the cheif exercise of faith! It is believeing God’s incredible proimses that we can come to him, even through our coldness and guilt, as our lvoing heavnely Father. Prayer is relating to the HEavenly Father as OUR own Father.
Michael Reeves puts it so carefully, “Of course we have a personal relaiotnship with the Son and the Spirit as well, we have prayer to all three persons. BUT normal habitual, oniogn Christain prayer is something rich and juicer than just throwing up words to a Person of the Tirnity. As Packer puts it: It is joining in the fellowship of God as the Father, Son, and Spirit are arligeady enjoying it! In the OT it was the high priest who went behind the veil on behalf of the rest of the belivers, in the NT it is Jesus the Son who actualy takes us before His Father, and in prayer the Holy SPirit meets us there and helps us to offer reall prayer in areal communion.
CONCLUSION:
ANd that is where I would like to land this plane tonight. When we think of prayer so often we think of prayer as a nabstract thing to do - prayer as an activity - and of course that comes to be boring and mind wonders if just doing an religious acticivity, and don’t really see the point. But the big deal about prayer can’t be the activity or even the particular words or requests, - the big deal when I was with my Dad on my birthday, wasn’t merely the things talked about, but on the person I was talking and listening and communing with! We have communion thrtough our words all the ties, so any different ways - texts, emails, letters, phone, face to face. And the quality and effectiveness of our relationship depned on quality of time we spend togther. OUr focus in prayer is to be on the one to whom we are praying. As much as we ask partiular things and we should, we also recount with thnaks who He is to us, what faithfulness and kindness we rejoice in. Don’t you hear the frist prayer saying that _ god I praise you for… and then He also has no hestiation to ask for and depnde on HIs Father for what he needs. Thak and ask as Jesus did that that’s the staples of communion with God. It’s a big no to lbiing like the world self-depenence and no to personal abmition; a huge Yes to God-depence and seeking HIs Will and Kingdom first! And that brings us to the last words of our text:
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Prayer is all about dependence. If God were a single solitiary person, not Triune God othe Bible Father, Son and HOly Spirit, the goal then would be indenpence. But God is a tri-unity. It is all about beautiful depndnce. The Son ot the Father, the Son doing that tdoes int he power of the Spirit. And You I filled with the SPiri tof the SOn. Even the Son’s commuion with the Father is stirred by the Spirit!
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
The Spirit stirs up this commuion in Christ and in us the children of God. All other praying in like a sail boat without wind. But
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
In prayer God is speaking through us to God! We are brought into divine fellowship . The Spirit is the wind God gives us in the sails of our prayer! Prayer is not first of all tenchinique or rigousritual dispcline, it is first of acommunion and inthe end it is Jesus joining us by the Spirit so as co-workers, and pariticpatints in God’s compassion, outing missional life - that He shares with his Father and Spirt. Prayer is not only, and not first a duty and acommand, but an invitation, gift and privellege!