“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

~ A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

REVIEW

• Life of Daniel – living a life of godly impact in godless times
• Our abiding relationship with God is absolutely essential to everything in our Christian life (Jn 15:5)
• Prayer is simply talking to God but we often do it our way rather than His way so we need His definition
• Luke 11:1 – “Lord, teach us to pray” // Matthew 6:9-13 – The Lord’s Prayer
  • Do Not’s
    • Hypocrisy – for other’s approval – be genuine and authentic in conversation with God
    • Magical formula but it is a relational connection with “your Father”
  • Do’s
    • Pray – “when” not if // Get alone with God // He sees you and is listening
    • Pray Jesus’ model for prayer
      • HOW to pray more than WHAT to pray
      • Reflects God’s heart of life is all about: Loving God and loving others
      • See how prayer changes us: from my kingdom and will to YOURS

PREVIEW

• Today, first part of the Lord’s Prayer
  • “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed (holy) be Thy Name”
• The importance of starting out our prayer, remembering WHO we’re talking to
• His love for us and how amazing and “other” He is from us

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. KJV

1. Our Father

Psalm 103:13 “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” NLT

• “Our” – we are a part of God’s spiritual family – we have brothers and sisters in Him (Rom 8:14-17)
• Our relationships with our “siblings” matter to God (Matt 5:24-25; 1 Pet 3:7; 1 Jn 4:20-21)
• Our Father cares and values us – we don’t need to worry (Matt 6:27-27, 31-32; 10:29-30)
• Part of Him being our Father is His corrective discipline (Deut 8:5; Prov 3:11-12; Heb 12:5-13)

2. in Heaven

Philippians 3:20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. NLT

• Heaven is our true home – we are just passing through – keep our minds on things above (Col 3:1-2)
• This reminder helps us to prioritize the things of heaven, His kingdom, not this one (Matt 6:19-21)

3. Hallowed / Holy

Revelation 4:8b “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” NLT

• To be holy is to be set apart, consecrated – for God – He is like no other (Jer 10:6; 1 Sam 2:2; Isa 36:9)
  • Divine Attributes of God:
    • Self-Existence – not dependent – fully capable – sufficient (Ex 3:14; Jn 5:26; Heb 1:3)
    • Immutable – He does not change (Heb 13:8; Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6)
    • All Powerful/Omnipotent (Gen 18:14; Ps 147:5; Dan 4:35)
    • All Knowing/Omniscient (Ps 139:1-4; Heb 4:13; Rom 11:33-36)
    • Always Present (Matt 28:20; 1 Kg 8:27; Jer 23:23-24
    • Love (1 Jn 4:8) / Good / Righteous / Faithful / True / Wisdom / Eternal / Life / etc
  • To be holy is to be complete pure, perfect, righteous (1 Tim 6:15-16; Ps 145:17; Matt 5:48)
  • Though God is close and intimate, our Father, He is also “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:16)
  • My part is to remember to yield, surrender, to follow Him (Matt 4:19; Jn 17:17; 1 Pet 1:15-16)

4. Application –

• ACTS prayer acrostic helps us to start praying like Jesus prayed
• Let’s not just learn about prayer, let’s be people who pray! (Jam 5:16-18)

A – Adoration – worship, praise, awe (1 Chronicles 29:10–13; Rev 4:8; Deut 10:17-18)

C – Confession – to agree with God over our sinfulness (Psalm 32, 51; Isa 6:5)

T – Thanksgiving – to thank God for who He is and what He has done (Psa 7:17; 107:1; Phil 4:6-7)

S – Supplication – to bring our requests to God (Phil 4:6; 1 Chron 4:10; 1 Jn 5:14-15)

Resources:

• The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer – a short book diving into the attributes of God – a classic!
• Fathered by God by John Eldredge – if you struggle with seeing God as your Father, this book helped me!

For Small Group Discussion

Opening Questions: Was there ever a time when you had a memorized prayer that you recited regularly? What was it? What was your main takeaway from the sermon this week?

Main Point: As we learn to pray like Jesus, it causes us to worship God because He is our father.

Main Scripture: Matthew 6:9

Head Questions

• What does holy mean?
• If God is holy, how can we possibly be “holy”?

Heart Questions

• How does your image of God affect how you pray?
• How has your relationship with your earthly father shaped your relationship with God?

Hands Questions

• Since God is our Father, others in the church body are our brothers and sisters. Who has God placed in your life that needs a brother/sister in Christ this season?
• Challenge: Take time to stop and pray. Pray out loud. Pray with another person. Pray a prayer of adoration to the Father. Acknowledge the ways you see God’s holiness.

Additional Scripture: Romans 8:15-17, Luke 11:2

Questions about prayer?

Email [email protected] and we will address your questions throughout the series and through additional podcasts.

For more sermon resources, podcasts, and other tools go to: https://realliferesources.org/current-series/