Please turn to Matthew chapter 6, verse 7 to 15.
If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand.
!
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.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Pray then like this.
Our Father 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Please be seated.
In Acts chapter 6, the 12 apostles identify two main things that are absolutely necessary, integral for the advance of the gospel, for the upbuilding of the church,
the progress of the kingdom of God.
And those two things are ministry of the word and prayer.
Ministering God's word and praying.
But of those two all-important activities, we find specific instructions from Jesus about only one of those two activities.
Nowhere in the gospels do we find Jesus' disciples asking him, please teach us how to pray or how to preach, rather.
We want to learn to preach like you, Jesus.
We don't find that anywhere in scripture.
Nowhere in the New Testament do we find specific instructions for what an outline for a sermon should look like.
This is how you should preach.
This is what you should include.
We find many examples of it.
But we don't find specific instructions for it.
Apparently, the basic contours of proclaiming the gospel is simple enough.
Can we receive training to do it better?
Of course.
That's what you have trained pastors for.
But if you are a Christian, then you know the gospel.
Because if you don't know the gospel, then you cannot be a Christian.
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God for salvation for those who believe.
That means if you are here and confess Jesus as your Lord, you know the gospel and you know how to proclaim it.
But in Luke 11, we do find Jesus' disciples asking him,
Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.
Jesus' intimate and trusting relationship with his heavenly Father demonstrated in prayer
was clearly a source of his power in ministry and his disciples knew it.
So Jesus taught his disciples to pray.
We have specific instructions for how to pray in the Bible from the mouth of Jesus himself.
In fact, the way Matthew has structured his sermon on the Mount,
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount here in the gospel,
it centers around the Lord's Prayer.
This is one of, this is Jesus' most famous sermon.
It's one of five major discourses of Jesus in Matthew,
and it's structured chiastically.
It has a mirroring structure where the two ends match each other,
and then the next elements match each other until it comes to the very center of the entire sermon,
which here, in this case, is the Lord's Prayer.
In Matthew 5.1, Jesus, seeing the crowds, went up on the mountain.
In Matthew 8.1, Jesus, it says, came down from the mountain,
and great crowds followed him.
In chapter 5.2, Jesus begins his sayings and teachings to his disciples.
In chapter 7.20, it says that he finished his teachings and sayings to his disciples.
Verse 5.3-16 describes the blessed ones who have and possess the kingdom of heaven.
Chapter 7.13-27 describes those who will enter the kingdom of heaven.
So you see these mirroring elements.
Chapter 5.17-20 speak of how Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets.
In chapter 7.12, we have Jesus' summary of the law and the prophets.
In 5.21-6.4, Jesus talks about how to love our earthly neighbors.
In 6.19-7.11, Jesus talks about how to love our heavenly father.
So again, that's summing up that the greatest command to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.
And then, as Ed preached last week, in chapter 6.5-6,
we are told not to pray like the hypocrites to be seen by others.
And then, skipping over the Lord's Prayer to verse 16 and 18,
it warns us not to fast like hypocrites to be seen by others.
Every aspect of Sermon on the Mount has these matching elements, except for one.
It's the Lord's Prayer.
Because it's the very center of Jesus' most famous sermon.
That's how important this passage is, and that's how important prayer is.
I think prayer is given such a prominence in Jesus' teaching
and central place in Scripture for a number of reasons.
I think in many ways, and I say this as a preacher,
who is the last person to discount the importance of preaching.
Because praying is harder than preaching.
I know many pastors who struggle with praying.
I don't know that many pastors who pray well but struggle with preaching.
When we're preaching and serving and otherwise busily occupied,
it feels very productive and that feels good.
When we're praying, it feels like we're not accomplishing anything.
Because we're not.
We are not accomplishing anything.
We're asking God to accomplish something.
In prayer, we become helpless, needy, and dependent people,
and this is a very hard thing for a prideful and self-sufficient
and self-important people to do.
That's why I think prayer is harder than preaching.
That's a long introduction to highlight just how critical prayer is,
and the main point, I think, of this passage is that we should pray as children
to our Heavenly Father.
First, he tells us how not to pray.
Don't pray like this, in verse 7 and 8.
And then he tells us how to pray.
Do pray like this in verses 9 to 15.
Let's first talk about how not to pray in verses 7 to 8.
It says,
Jesus is using the term Gentiles here not as an ethnic term primarily,
to mean non-Jews, but to refer to unbelievers,
all those who are outside of his community of disciples.
It was used in the same way in chapter 5, verse 47.
Those who do not believe in the true God heap up empty phrases.
Their prayer is characterized by two things.
One, empty phrases.
Two, many words.
And Jesus teaches us not to pray in these manners.
First, we should not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do.
The Greek word behind heap up empty phrases is literally a word that means babble,
to prattle.
It refers to idle talk.
Imagine someone who prattles on and on about foolish and inconsequential things.
They don't have any real reason for communicating these things to you,
but they're just prattling on.
These are empty phrases that have little meaning.
In the first century Greco-Roman world, Gentiles used these foreign, unintelligible words and sounds
that they called barbarous names, which they believed to possess magical powers.
And you find these barbarous names, these magical incantations in the Greek magical papyri that have
been discovered.
And that's the kind of thing that Jesus is condemning here.
Prayer is not about heaping up empty phrases as if the words and phrases that mean nothing to us
will mean something to God.
That ancient practice is really not all that different from the mantras that Hindus and Buddhists
all over the world use today.
The utter phrases and words and sounds called mantras, which they believe carry sacred vibrations
or divine energy.
But Jesus teaches us here that such babbling, heaping up empty phrases, have zero efficacy.
With God.
Secondly, we should not pray many words as if God will hear us just because our words are many.
Pagan prayer often has little substance and meaning, but there's much vain repetition.
The Greeks were known for repeating the names of their deities over and over again because
they believe that maybe with one time saying the name, their gods might miss it.
If they get their attention, you say their names over and over again.
It's not all that different from how Muslims today used prayer beads called the tasbih, 99
beads for the 99 names of Allah.
They repeat them over and over and over again.
Many Buddhists likewise use prayer wheels that they spin repeatedly while uttering their mantras,
thinking that each turn of the wheel releases a prayer and more prayer the better,
so they just keep spinning these wheels.
Even the Catholic use of the rosary, I believe, sometimes runs afoul of Jesus' command.
The Catholic rosary contains 59 beads with five introductory beads, one Our Father, the Lord's Prayer,
three Hail Marys, and one Glory bead, five sets of ten Hail Marys, each one beginning with Our Father,
which then it closes with the Hail Queen, which is a prayer to Mary.
The Catholic rosary is problematic in a number of important ways.
It includes prayers to Mary, but as we see in this passage, Jesus teaches us that we should pray to God,
not to other believers, not even to believers who are dead and in heaven already.
Sure, we should pray for one another.
The Bible does teach us to pray for one another as saints,
but that's very different from praying to one another.
The rosary often leads to vain repetitions where people thoughtlessly recite prayers in rote and mechanical way
as if the sheer number of repetitions is going to make God hear us and answer us.
God cannot be controlled in such a way.
God is not hard of hearing.
God is not susceptible to flattery.
God is not able to pray for one another.
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus gives us a model and a pattern according to which we should pray.
I don't think this means that Jesus intends for us to say precisely these 52 words
in the English Standard Version of the Bible in verses 9 to 13.
How do I know that?
Well, because we have two versions of the Lord's Prayer in the Scriptures,
one here in Matthew 6 and another one in Luke 11.
And though those two versions are very similar in their themes,
they're not identical in their wording,
which I think shows us that it's not the exact wording that matters,
but rather the substance of what we're praying to God.
With that said, let me add a couple qualifications.
I'm not saying that we should not have prolonged prayers or persistent prayer.
Maybe you'll think, well, if we shouldn't pray many words,
then all my prayer time should be really short.
Sure, that makes things easier for me, right?
I'm not saying that because if you look at Luke 6, 12,
we're told that Jesus went out on the mountainside to pray,
and it says that he prayed there all night.
Jesus prayed for long periods of time.
Every time I pick up a biography of a Christian saint,
a godly man or woman that I admire, respect,
and read about their life,
they inevitably, invariably have a robust prayer life.
They not only pray frequently,
but they pray for extended periods of time.
There are Christians who say,
you know, who pray only very short and limited prayer times,
and then they say, you know,
you know, it's quality, not quantity.
That counts.
That's true to a point,
sure, one hour of quality prayer time
is perhaps better than two hours of scattered and distracted prayer time.
But isn't two hours of quality prayer time
surely better than one hour of quality prayer time?
Maybe some of you are married or you have significant others.
If your significant other complains to you,
says, you know, I feel like you've been too busy lately,
and I've not gotten enough time with you,
I feel like you're not really drawing me out,
we're not having good quality conversations,
try telling them,
you know, with me,
it's quality that matters,
not quantity.
It will not go over well.
Because if you are so busy hard that you have a hard,
you are so busy that you have a hard time
even spending one hour with someone that you love,
then you're going to be so busy hearted
when you spend that one hour with them
that that one hour is going to be,
is not going to be a quality time.
You're going to be rushed and hurried.
Paul Miller writes in his book,
A Praying Life,
any relationship,
if it is going to grow,
needs private space,
time together without an agenda,
where you can get to know each other.
This creates an environment
where closeness can happen,
where we can begin to understand each other's hearts.
You don't create intimacy,
you make room for it.
This is true,
whether you are talking about your spouse,
your friend,
or God.
You need space to be together.
Efficiency,
multitasking,
and busyness
all kill intimacy.
In short,
you can't get to know God on the fly.
We don't pray for a long time
because we think that God only listens
if we pray over a certain number of hours.
That's not the point.
But prolonged prayer,
that's an expression of our intimate trust in God,
our Father,
is to be commended.
Secondly,
I'm also not speaking against persistent prayer.
In Matthew 26,
44,
in the Garden of Gethsemane,
shortly before his betrayal and death,
Jesus,
he says,
prayed for the third time,
saying the same words again.
My Father,
if it be possible,
remove this cup from me,
but not my will,
but yours be done.
He says,
Jesus prayed that prayer three times.
Clearly,
it's not a problem to repeat things.
But that's desperate,
persistent prayer.
Paul had a similar instance
in 2 Corinthians 12.
It says three times he pleaded with the Lord
so that a messenger of Satan
that had been harassing him in his flesh
would leave.
Three times.
Same prayers.
In Luke 18,
Jesus gives us a parable
of the persistent widow
who wore down an unrighteous human judge
by bringing her plea for justice repeatedly
until he granted her request.
So Jesus,
and then Jesus commands us
to pray like her.
He says,
to cry out to God day and night.
So Jesus does not condemn
persistent,
repeated prayers.
The difference is that
these are persistent,
repeated,
heartfelt,
faith-filled prayers,
which is a far cry
from the heaping up of empty phrases
and the vain repetitions
of many words,
thinking that
only prayers
that go above
a certain number of word count
can be heard by God.
Prayer is not a way
to manipulate God.
It's a way to submit to God,
to depend on him.
It's a conversation with God
and an outworking
of our relationship with God.
So Jesus says in verse 8,
do not be like them.
For your father knows
what you need
before you ask him.
That's so wonderful
to think about.
Do you know that
your heavenly father
knows what you need
before you ask him?
Don't think that
that he is aloof
and distant
and unaware
of our needs.
Our earthly fathers
sometimes struggle with that
because they have
limited knowledge
and they've limited attention
and they've limited time
and limited resources
and limited power,
but our heavenly father
has no such limitations.
He's attentive
to his children
and he knows
what we need
before we ask him.
God says concerning
his people in Isaiah
65 verse 24,
before they call,
I will answer.
While they are yet speaking,
I will hear.
He says in Daniel 9,
20, 21,
while Daniel was still
praying to God
that God already sent
his angel Gabriel
to answer his prayer.
In Genesis 24, 15,
when Abraham's servant
is seeking a godly wife
for his master's son,
Isaac,
he begins to pray
and he says that
before he had finished
praying,
God already answered
his prayer
because the Rebecca
is coming out
even before he's done
praying.
It's almost like,
I hope this is not
irreverent,
but it's almost like
God is a contestant
on Jeopardy
who's just like
waiting with bated breath
to hit the buzzer
to give an answer.
God is not
a reluctant,
aloof person
that you need
to pry his hands open
to get stuff
that you want from him.
He's a loving,
attentive father
and you begin
to pray to him
and he's there.
You begin to say
and you begin to speak
and he's already answering.
That's the posture
of God our father
to us.
Lloyd-Jones
puts it helpfully,
as the father cares
for the child
and looks at the child
and is concerned
about the child
and anticipates
the needs of the child,
so is God
with respect
to all those
who are in Christ Jesus.
He desires
to bless us
very much more
than we desire
to be blessed.
He has a view of us.
He has a plan
and a program for us.
He has an ambition
for us
which transcends
our highest thought
and imagination.
But if our God
so knows
what we need
before we even ask him,
why do we pray at all?
That brings us
to the second point.
Do pray like this.
Jesus says in verse 9,
pray then like this.
Our father in heaven.
Prayer is addressed
to God,
our father in heaven.
And this explains
why we pray
even when God
already knows
what we need.
Prayer is not
transactional
as much as it is
relational.
When my children
ask me
if they can have
certain foods
or if I can buy them
a certain present
or if I can help them
with their homework
or if I can play
a game with them
or watch a movie
with them,
it doesn't merely
give me useful information
so that I can know
what to act on
or what they need.
No,
it brings me joy
when they come to me
to ask me
for these things.
Even when I'm
going to say no.
I still want them
to come to me
because it brings me
delight
that my children
would ask me
because it shows
that they trust me.
It shows that they
depend on me.
It shows that they know
that I love them.
It's the same
with our Heavenly Father.
He's not
a vending machine
that's useful
only for dispensing gifts.
He's our Father
and He wants us
to come
and speak with Him
as His children.
This is why
every prayer
recorded in the Bible
begins with
an invocation
of God.
It's a personal
address to God.
Recognizing the
fatherhood of God
is key to Christian
prayer
and really a key
to the entire
Christian life.
Theologian J.I. Packer
puts it this way
in knowing God.
You sum up
the whole
of New Testament
religion
if you describe it
as the knowledge
of God
as one's Holy Father.
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
that he does not
understand Christianity
very well at all.
For everything
that Christ taught
is summed up
in the knowledge
of the fatherhood
of God.
Father
is the Christian
name for God.
Our understanding
of Christianity
cannot be better
than our grasp
of adoption.
Since Jesus
spoke Aramaic
during his life
when he taught
his disciples
this prayer
the word for father
that he would have
used would have
been the word
Abba
which means
father in Aramaic.
Almost every language
in the world
has a similar word
for father.
In Korean
it's Abba
in Arabic
it's Ab
in Chinese
and Swahili
it's Baba
in English
and German
Spanish
it's Papa
every language.
as the
Eastern Bible
dictionary
helpfully puts it
it is a term
Abba
it's a term
that expresses
warm affection
and filial
confidence
to capture
that familial
affection
and
confidence
filial confidence
the New Testament
scripture writers
sometimes preserve
that word
Abba
even though
they're writing
in Greek
you see that
in multiple
places in scripture
and this is
the sacred
privilege
of all
of God's
people
there is
a limited
sense
in which
all people
including
Christians
and non-Christians
are offspring
of God
because God
is our creator
we see that
in Acts 17
28 to 29
where Paul says
addressing
non-Christians
we are all
his offspring
but there is
a special
sense
in which
only Christians
who have
confessed
Jesus
as their
Lord
and call
upon God
can call
upon God
as their
father
it says
in John
1 12
to 13
but to
all who
did
receive
Jesus
Christ
who
believed
in his
name
God
gave
the
right
to
become
the
children
of God
who
were
born
not
of
blood
nor
of
the
will
of
the
flesh
nor
of
the
will
of
man
but
of
God
only
those
who
believe
in
Jesus
Christ
is
given
the
right
to
become
children
of
God
17
times
on the
Sermon on the
Mount
God
is called
our
father
this
prayer
is
traditionally
called
the
Lord's
prayer
because
it's
the
prayer
that
our
Lord
Jesus
taught
us
but
it's
not
actually
a
prayer
that
Jesus
could
have
fully
prayed
because
it
speaks
of
forgiving
us
forgive
us
our
debts
Jesus
doesn't
have
sin
Hebrews
4
15
says
Jesus
was
without
sin
so
he
could
not
pray
forgive
us
our
debts
this
is
instead
a
prayer
for
the
disciples
of
Jesus
it's
the
prayer
of
the
disciples
for
all
those
who
call
upon
God
as
their
father
this
is
why
I
love
how
D.
Martin
Jones
puts
it
in
passing
in his
sermon
one
of
his
sermons
he
calls
this
the
children's
prayer
I
love
that
this
is
the
children's
prayer
those
who
call
upon
God
as
their
father
the
fatherhood
of
God
is
the
premise
the
basis
for
all
of
our
prayers
some
of
us
have
a
hard
time
relating
to
God
as
a
loving
father
they
have
a
hard
time
praying
to
God
as
father
because
of
the
troubled
relationship
that
they
have
with
their
own
earthly
fathers
many
of
you
have
had
wonderful
earthly
fathers
but
a few
of
you
have
had
really
bad
earthly
fathers
who
physically
abandoned
you
or abused
you
or emotionally
neglected
you
manipulated
you
fathers
who
didn't
provide
for
you
fathers
who
were not
there
for you
when you
needed
him
but
you
must
not
let
that
taint
and color
the way
you look
at our
heavenly
father
he's
not
like
that
when
you
think
of your
relationship
with your
earthly
father
do you
think
of
yourself
primarily
as a
disappointment
and a
failure
don't
project
that
onto
our
heavenly
father
he says
in
psalm
103
8
to
14
that
our
heavenly
father
is
merciful
and
gracious
slow
to
anger
and
abounding
in
steadfast
love
he says
that
he does
not
deal
with us
according
to our
sins
nor
repay
us
according
to our
iniquities
why
because
he
says
he
shows
compassion
to
his
children
as a
father
for
he
knows
our
frame
he
remembers
that
we
are
dust
God
knows
that
we are
only
children
God
knows
that
we
are
not
fully
grown
yet
God
knows
that
we
are
weak
and
fallible
creatures
of
dust
so
as
our
heavenly
father
he
says
that
he
has
compassion
on us
when
the
bible
speaks
of
god
the
father
the
primary
attribute
and
action
that
is
most
frequently
attributed
to him
in the
bible
is
love
it
says
in
first
john
three
one
see
what
kind
of
love
the
father
has
given
us
that
we
should
be
called
children
of
god
and
so
we
are
even
look at
the
benediction
that we
use
every
sunday
after
service
at
the
end
of
service
second
corinthians
13
14
which
says
the
grace
of
the
lord
jesus
christ
grace
associated
with
jesus
and
the
love
of
god
love
is
associated
with
god
the
father
and
fellowship
of
the
holy
spirit
be
with
you
all
the
first
thought
that
comes
to
our
minds
when
we
think
of
our
god
it
should
be
love
that
our
father
loves
us
it
says
in
first
john
4
8
anyone
who
does
not
love
does
not
know
god
because
god
is
love
it
says
in
romans
8
15
that
we
did
not
receive
the
spirit
of
slavery
to
fall
back
into
fear
but
we
have
received
!
the
spirit
of
adoption
as
sons
by
whom
we
cry
abba
father
slaves
have
to
work
for
everything
they
have
to
earn
everything
nothing
comes
to
slaves
for
free
but
if
you're
a
son
that's
a
different
story
you're
an
heir
you
get
your
father's
inheritance
by
right
how
did
Alexander
the
great
come
to
lead
the
most
powerful
army
in
the
world
the
kingship
of
Macedonia
at
the
young
age
of
20
because
his
father
was
Philip
II
of
Macedon
how
did
Augustus
become
Caesar
of the
Roman
Empire
not
because
he
passed
some
great
test
but
because
he
was
the
son
of
Julius
Caesar
how
did
John
D.
Rockefeller
Jr.
come
to
inherit
the
modern
equivalent
of
billions
of
dollars
of
course
because
his
father
was
senior
John
D.
Rockefeller
senior
founder
of
Standard
Oil
how
did
James
Murdoch
become
an
executive
of
21st
Century
Fox
News
Corp
because
his
father
is
Rupert
Murdoch
the
global
media
tycoon
how
did
President
Donald
Trump
become
a
multimillionaire
because
he
inherited
it
from
his
father
who
was
a
multimillionaire
real estate
developer
the
same
is
true
for
us
we
are
not
slaves
who
have
to
earn
the
favor
of
our
master
we
are
the
children
of
God
our
father
we
are
all
sons
because
we
have
been
united
by
faith
to
Jesus
Christ
God's
only
son
we
are
all
heirs
sons
and
daughters
of
God
I
often
tell
my
daughters
that
I
love
them
and
then
I
like
to
ask
them
do
you
know
why
I
love
you
and
they
always
have
the
same
answer
they
know
what
answer
I
am
looking
for
they
say
because
I
am
your
daughter
they
answer
that
way
because
that's
what
I've
told
them
over
and
over
again
because
I
want
them
to
know
that
they
never
have
to
compete
for
my
affection
or
earn
my
affection
it's
theirs
by
right
because
I
am
their
father
and
they
are
my
daughters
they
have
a
privileged
relationship
to me
that
no
other
children
in
the
world
have
because
simply
they
are
mine
it's
the
same
for
us
do
you
know
brothers
and
sisters
you
are
God's
child
you
belong
to
him
and
therefore
it is
your
special
privilege
to cry
out to
him
in
prayer
and
say
our
father
in
heaven
after
addressing
God
which is
the
first
prayer
item
we
could
get
to
what
we
call
the
overarching
purpose
of
prayer
verse
19
hallowed
be
your
name
the
name
of
God
in
scripture
frequently
stands
for
God
himself
it
represents
God
and
to
hallow
his
name
is
to
want
to
see
God
honored
as
holy
that's
what
it
means
to
hallow
holy
means
set
apart
consecrated
first
God
is
holy
and
set
apart
in
contradist
distinction
to
other
gods
or
idols
secondly
God
is
holy
and
set
apart
in
contradistinction
to
us
his
creatures
and
when we
pray
for
God's
name
to
be
hallowed
that
means
we're
praying
for
God
to
be
distinguished
from
these
idols
and
distinguished
from
creation
in
this
way
!
God
to
!
God
which
on
the
surfaces
makes
it
seem
like
it's
inclusive
of
all
religions
but
is
actually
exclusive
of
all
other
religions
except
the
religion
of
pluralism
Islam
Judaism
Buddhism
Christianity
they all
make
mutually
exclusive
truth
claims
to
claim
that
they're
all
equally
valid
is
to
invalidate
all
of
them
except
for
your
own
brand
of
pluralism
to
claim
that
no
religion
has
an
exclusive
claim
to
truth
is
itself
an
exclusive
religious
claim
but
why
was
that
rug
offensive
because
it
says
to
me
that
our
God
is
one
among
many
because
it
says
to
me
that
our
God
is
like
these
other
gods
that
they're
on
par
with
each
other
that
they
are
peers
it
is
offensive
to
suggest
that
God
has
rivals
or
peers
our
God
does
not
have
rivals
our
God
does
not
have
peers
the
name
of
our
God
Heavenly
Father
should
be
hallowed
set
apart
from
all
other
names
the
Bible
declares
over
and
over
again
that
God
is
peerless
and
unrivaled
in
every
way
Deuteronomy
33
26
that
there
is
none
like
God
who
rides
through
the
heavens
to
your
help
Hannah
prays
in
1 Samuel
2
there
is
none
holy
like
the
Lord
for
there
is
none
besides
you
there
is
no
rock
like
our
God
Moses
sings
to God
in
Exodus
15
11
who
is
like
you
oh
Lord
among
the
gods
who
is
like
you
majestic
and
holiness
awesome
and
glorious
deeds
doing
wonders
there
is
no
one
like
our
God
that's
why
his
name
must
be
hallowed
God
declares
in
Isaiah
42
8
I
am
the
Lord
that
is
my
name
my
glory
I
give
to
no
other
nor
my
praise
to
carved
idols
God
will
not
give
his
praise
to
idols
why
because
God
has
never
forfeited
his
divine
glory
to
these
other
so-called
gods
glory
is like
a summary
of all
of God's
attributes
J.A. Packer
calls it
deity
on display
it's the
manifestation
of
godness
that's
what
glory
is
and
the
ultimate
goal
of all
that we
pray
for
is
God's
glory
for
who
he
is
and
his
divinity
to be
manifested
to all
for
his
name
to be
hallowed
secondly
we
want
God's
name
to be
hallowed
because
we
want
him
to be
recognized
as
separate
from
us
unlike
us
as
God
says
in
Isaiah
55
my
thoughts
are
not
your
thoughts
neither
are
your
ways
my
ways
declares
the
Lord
for
as
the
heavens
are
higher
than
the
earth
so
are
my
ways
higher
than
your
ways
and
my
thoughts
than
your
thoughts
God
is
not
like
us
so
prayer
is
not
about
making
much
of
ourselves
prayer
is
not
about
manipulating
God
for our
purposes
prayer
is
not
about
therapeutic
catharsis
much
of
humanity's
relationship
to the
so-called
gods
throughout
the
world
is
a
patron
client
relationship
you
offer
your
prayers
and
you
make
your
sacrifice
and
you
expect
God
to
pat
you
back
on
and
to
listen
to
you
and
you
acquired
his
services
or purchased
his services
through
sacrifices
and
prayers
in that
view
God
exists
to answer
us
to make
much
of us
and we
are the
center
of the
universe
but in
Christian
prayer
and in
Christianity
God
is the
center
of the
universe
the
ultimate
goal
of
prayer
is to
make
God's
name
hallowed
not
get
what
we
want
this point
is made
very
pointedly
by the
very form
and structure
of the
Lord's
prayer
it begins
with
three
petitions
that pertain
to God
first
in verses
9 to
10
hallowed be
your
name
your
kingdom
come
your
will
be
done
only
after
that
does
it
move
to
petitions
that
pertain
to
us
in
verses
11
and
13
give
us
this
day
our
daily
bread
forgive
us
our
debts
and
lead
us
not
into
temptation
but
deliver
us
from
evil
Christian
prayer
is
first
and
foremost
grounded
in
who
God
is
and
in
his
purposes
and
priorities
all
of our
petitions
get
subsumed
under
that
that's
the
thesis
that's
the
purpose
that's
the
hallowed
be
your
name
your
kingdom
come
your
will
be
done
also
notice
that
there
isn't
a
single
eye
in
this
prayer
this
doesn't
mean
that
we're
not
allowed
to
pray
personally
for
ourselves
as
individuals
we
can
do
that
but
it
does
highlight
the
importance
of
praying
to
God
as
a
community
which
is
what
we
do
together
as
a
church
even
when
we
pray
alone
in
our
personal
prayer
closets
we
speak
to
God
as
members
of
the
family
of
God
so
whenever
we
address
God
as
father
remember
that
we
have
brothers
and
sisters
in
Christ
that
you
can
also
intercede
for
the
second
and third
petitions
are related
to the
first
your
kingdom
come
your
will
be
done
on
earth
as
it
is
in
heaven
the
kingdom
of
God
refers
to
God's
rulership
his
reign
we're
longing
for
his
reign
his
rule
to be
manifested
on
all
the
earth
of
course
God
is
already
king
in
one
sense
over
all
the
earth
he
has
been
and
he
forever
will
be
however
this
rule
of
God
is
not
fully
manifested
in
all
the
earth
so
your
kingdom
come
then
is
a
prayer
that
God's
rule
right
his
rule
de
jury
would
become
his
rule
de
facto
that
his
rule
by
right
would
become
his
rule
in
reality
in
all
of
life
that
desire
for
the
consummation
of
God's
rule
is
expressed
in
Zechariah
14
verse
9
and
the
Lord
will
be
king
over
all
the
earth
on
that
day
the
Lord
will
be
one
and
his
name
one
the
day
is
coming
when
the
one
true
king
will be
worshipped
in
all
the
earth
and
on
that
day
finally
the
Lord's
name
will
be
one
God
promised
us
in
Isaiah
45
23
to me
every
knee
shall
bow
every
tongue
shall
swear
allegiance
!
in
our
church
in
our
city
in
our
country
or
among
all
the
nations
in
the
world
we
can
pray
your
kingdom
come
your
will
be
done
on
earth
as
it
is
in
heaven
now
let's
turn to
the
personal
petitions
that mention
us
in
verses
11
to
13
the
first
of
those
is
for
provision
in
verse
11
give
us
this
day
our
daily
bread
daily
bread
it
can
mean
continual
bread
or
bread
for
our
need
or
it
could
be
bread
for
tomorrow
however
you
render
it
or
translate
it
refers
to
our
present
need
and
not
for
a
need
in
some
distant
future
it
points
to
our
continual
dependence
on
God
and
that's
confirmed
by
the
phrase
this
day
give
us
this
day
our
daily
bread
most
laborers
in
Jesus'
time
were
paid
only
one
day
at
a
time
they
literally
lived
hand
to
mouth
day
to
day
and
so
for
them
this
would
have
been
a
very
real
prayer
dependence
and
something
that
we
need
to
recapture
in
our
dependence
on
God
give
us
this
day
our
daily
bread
that
expression
daily
bread
harkens
us
back
to
Exodus
16
when
God
supplied
bread
from
heaven
manna
for
his
people
and
amazingly
this
bread
from
heaven
this
manna
that
came
down
God
told
them
specifically
to not
collect
more
than
what
they
need
for
that
day
and
if
everyone
got
greedy
and
collected
more
it
would
rot
and
stink
it
would
become
inedible
the
next
day
and
whatever
was
left
over
and
was
not
picked
up
on
the
field
would
dissolve
under
the
heat
of
the
sun
it's
amazing
bread
engineered
in
heaven
to
cultivate
dependence
so
you
can't
have
a
weak
supply
of
bread
waiting
for
you
have
to
force
to
daily
depend
on
God
for
it
I've
shared
this
before
but
it's
such
a
helpful
illustration
for
me
in
his
book
Adopted
for
life
which
is
a
book
about
adoptions
author
Russell
Moore
writes
about
his
experience
with
adopting
two
boys
from
Russia
he
says
we
knew
the
boys
had
acclimated
to
our
home
that
they
trusted
us
when
they
stopped
hiding
food
in
their
high
chairs
they
knew
there
would
be
another
meal
coming
and
they
wouldn't
have
to
fight
for
the
scraps
this
was
the
new
normal
Moore's
adopted
sons
were
stashing
away
food
in
their
high
chairs
because
they
didn't
know
when
they
were
going
to
eat
next
they
I
have
to
save
this
but
when
they
finally
realized
that
they're
no
longer
orphans
but
they
have
parents
when
they
finally
realized
that
they
are
sons
they
stopped
hiding
the
food
and
started
depending
on
their
father
to
provide
if
you're
a
parent
like
me
you're
probably
often
telling
your
kids
finish
your
food
you know
but
if
you
think
about
it
this
way
it's
actually
something
to be
really
grateful
for
that
they
sometimes
don't
finish
their
food
they
could
afford
to
do
that
because
they
know
the
next
meal
is
coming
they
can
do
that
because
they
trust
in
their
parents
to
provide
for
them
and
they
don't
have
to
worry
about
their
food
that's
what
God
is
telling
us
don't
save
manna
from
the
previous
day
for
the
next
day
don't
depend
!
on
your
grace
that
God
has
given
you
last
year
or
yesterday
there's
fresh
grace
for
you
this
morning
there's
fresh
mercy
for
you
new
mercy
!
this
morning
God
wants
to
provide
for
us
and
that
applies
I
think
both
physical
provision
and
spiritual
provision
since
Jesus
says
in
John
6
that
I
am
the
bread
of
life
whoever
comes
to me
shall
not
hunger
and
whoever
believes
in
me
shall
never
thirst
do
you
cry
out
to
God
for
your
daily
bread
or
have
you
been
going
hungry
for
a
while
once
again
Paul
Miller
is
helpful
by
the
way
this
book
is
on
our
book
bingo
Trinity
reads
bingo
Rachel
Park
who
left
us
a few
weeks
ago
I
asked
her
for
her
exit
interview
what
are
some
ways
God
has
worked
in
your
life
how
has
God
changed
you
and
she
mentioned
the
prayer
seminar
and
the
book
that
we
recommended
there
which
was
A
praying
!
Life
by
Paul
Miller
and
she
says
in
the
book
a
needy
heart
is
a
praying
heart
dependency
is
the
heartbeat
of
prayer
it's
not
ruthless
self
discipline
that
ultimately
helps
us
to
pray
more
it's
poverty
of
spirit
it's
humility
it's
neediness
before
God
that
drives
us
to
prayer
more
mature
Christians
do
pray
more
that
is
true
but
it's
not
because
of
how
strong
they
are
it's
because
of
how
keenly
aware
they
are
of
their
weakness
I think
I have
a diagram
to show
here
people
am I
is my
head
in the
way
is
the
there's
this
diagram
of when
you're
when you're
a new
Christian
a relatively
new
Christian
you
you see
only little
bits
of your
sin
and you
see
little
need
for
God
and so
the
cross
of
Christ
only need
be
a big
and
sufficient
to bridge
that gap
between
you
and
God
or
at least
that's
how
you
perceive
it
the
more
you
grow
in
maturity
the
more
you
realize
that
your
distance
the
distance
between
you
and
God
is
insurmountable
it
is
unfathomable
and the
more
you get
to know
God
and his
holiness
the
more
aware
you
become
of
your
own
sins
so
the
need
for
God
does
not
diminish
as
you
mature
it
grows
and
the
cross
of
Christ
does
not
get
smaller
and
smaller
as
you
get
holy
and
holier
no
it
gets
bigger
and
bigger
and
bigger
and
bigger
dependency
is the
heart
of
prayer
we
should
pray
as
children
to
our
heavenly
father
the
second
personal
petition
is
for
our
pardon
oh
my
I
debated
whether
to
break
this
up
it's
too
late
guys
I
just
keep
going
forgive
us
our
debts
as
we
also
have
forgiven
our
debtors
guys
trust me
I
already
cut out
a lot
of
stuff
as
I
was
going
this
is
figurative
it's
a metaphor
for
spiritual
debt
it's
why
later
it
says
in
verse
14
and
15
the
word
debt
is
replaced
with
trespasses
and
in
the
parallel
Lord's
prayer
in
Luke
11
it
says
forgive
us
our
sins
it's
about
our
sins
I
don't
know where
you're
coming from
this morning
maybe you're
wrestling with
some shameful
sin and you feel
yourself unworthy to
approach God in
prayer
but
there's
forgiveness
for you
in
God
our
heavenly
father
is
gracious
to
forgive
this
is
in
first
john
chapter
one
verse
nine
if
we
confess
our
sins
he
is
faithful
and
just
to
forgive
us
our
sins
and
to
cleanse
us
from
all
unrighteousness
when
you feel
unworthy
and when
you feel
dirty
because
of
your
sin
that
should
not
drive
you
away
from
God
it
should
drive
you
toward
God
because
we
have
a
heavenly
father
who
is
merciful
who
forgives
us
of
all
our
sins
and
it
says
if
you
do
not
forgive
others
their
trespasses
neither
will
your
father
forgive
your
trespasses
this
is
consistently
taught
everywhere
in
scripture
mark
11
25
whenever
you
stand
praying
forgive
If you
have
anything
against
anyone
so
that
your
father
also
who
is
in
heaven
may
forgive
you
your
trespasses
if
you
do
not
forgive
others
their
trespasses
your
heavenly
father
will
not
forgive
your
trespasses
why
!
why
Jesus
illustrates
that
principle
in
the
parable
of
the
unmerciful
servant
in
Matthew
18
right
the
servant
who
owes
the
king
the
modern
equivalent
of
7.2
billion
dollars
is
forgiven
all of
his
debt
by
the
gracious
king
and
he
goes
to
a
fellow
servant
who
owes
him
a
meager
$12,000
in
comparison
and
chokes
him
and
says
you
must
repay
everything
you
owe
me
And then when the king sees that, he says,
you've been forgiven 7.2 billion.
Clearly, you have not even understood
the magnitude of my forgiveness.
If that's how you will treat your fellow servant,
then you will be expected to repay back everything.
The principle is this,
the forgiven people forgive others.
Our forgiveness of other people who sin against us
is a true test of whether or not we have really believed
in the forgiveness of God.
Whether we have really grasped
God's radical forgiveness for us.
Our forgiveness of others is the fruit,
the proof, the evidence of the forgiveness
we have received from God.
That's why he says in Ephesians 4.32,
forgive one another as God in Christ forgave you.
And that's why if we don't forgive others
when they sin against us,
it will be evidence against us
that we have never truly grasped
the forgiveness we have received from God.
And the final petition of the children's prayer
is for protection.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
The prayer for pardon for sin
flows naturally to prayer for protection.
They might be kept from further sins.
The word tempt is sometimes translated
elsewhere in scripture as the word test.
It really depends on the context.
When you tempt someone,
it's the devil who tempts people.
He tempts to make them fail,
to discredit them.
When God tests his people,
he does it to refine them
and to accredit them,
not to discredit them.
James 1.13 tells us that God cannot tempt.
He does not tempt anyone.
But we were told in Matthew 4.1
that God himself led Jesus up
by the spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil.
So for Christians,
we seek God's help for such times.
We don't cultivate this
warrior bravado that says,
bring all the temptations.
I will face them all.
If you have fallen upon your face
enough times like I have,
you never pray that kind of prayer.
You pray desperately,
Father, lead me not into temptation.
And when you are led into temptation
by the devil,
when you are tested by God,
then you pray,
Father, deliver me from evil.
Deliver us from evil.
Brothers and sisters,
I know many of you sometimes struggle
with different sins
and besetting sins
and you wrestle with them.
But have you gone to God
to fetch power for you
to fight those sins?
There is power for you.
God the Father is waiting.
He's waiting at the ready
to hit that buzzer,
to go,
to answer,
to help you.
But of course,
I've taken for granted
that we are his children.
How can we,
who have sinned so much,
who have rebelled against God
so much,
still have the shamelessness
to come to God,
approach him as our Father
and ask him?
You know,
God has always had a soft side
for orphans.
That's good news for us.
He's called the Father
of the fatherless
in Psalm 68, verse 5.
In you,
it says in Hosea 14, 3,
the orphan finds mercy.
We don't have that many orphans
around us here in Cambridge,
but there are some,
and we partner with the,
the foster care organization
that we have here in Cambridge
every Christmas
to get them gifts.
But can you imagine
the pain of being an orphan,
a true orphan?
Imagine the insecurity,
the low self-worth,
the fear of being unloved
and unwanted.
Imagine the kind of identity crisis
that they go through.
Who am I?
Where do I belong?
Imagine being a child,
a child,
and having to provide for yourself,
having to fend for yourself
in this world of grown men,
harsh world of men.
Is it any surprise
that traffickers
often prey on orphans?
They target children
living in poverty
in foster homes
and groups homes
or on the streets
because they have no father
to protect them.
According to the National Council
of Juvenile and Family Court judges,
an estimated 60%
of all child sex trafficking victims
have histories
in the child welfare system.
In a spiritual sense,
we were all one of those
trafficked children.
We were all orphans,
exploited, abused,
and raped by Satan
and these evil forces
at work in our sinful world,
this depraved world.
We were enslaved to sin and death.
That's what we were,
all of us.
But it says in Galatians 4,
4 to 7,
when the fullness of time had come,
God sent forth his son
born of a woman,
born under the law
to redeem those
who are under the law
so that we might receive
adoption as sons.
And because you are sons,
God has sent the spirit
of his son into our hearts
saying,
Abba, Father,
so you are no longer a slave
but a son,
and if a son,
then an heir
through God.
God saw us
in our desperate state
as orphans
and he sent his only son,
Jesus Christ,
to pay the ransom price
for our freedom,
to win our freedom,
to rescue us
from that slavery
and then so that
he can tell us,
you have a father now.
You are my child now.
So don't you go on living
like that orphan again.
That's what Jesus did for us
when he died for our sins
on the cross
and was raised from the dead.
He secured for us
our redemption
and our adoption
and that's why
he says in John 16
that when we pray,
we pray in the name of Jesus.
We pray out of our union
with Christ,
God's only son
because we now have
that sonship
and direct access
to God the Father.
You guys will have
to talk about more of this
in CGs.
There's so much here
that we can unpack
but I'm going to pray
and close now.
Father,
show us what it means
that you are our Father.
Teach us how to be
more childlike
in our faith,
in our humility,
in our dependence on you.
So we might pray
as you want us to,
as you command us to
here in this passage.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.