kayte
Jul 3rd 2004, 06:22 PM
Chapter Two
This chapter we’ll look at the Who of the prayer question. Who is He and who are we to approach Him?
This may seem to be an elementary question, yet when the disciple asked Jesus to teach them to pray in Luke 11:1, this is the first lesson Jesus touches on.
In Matthew 6:9 Jesus says, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
Remember last week we talked about Isaiah 41:1, “…Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.”
To come near God we first must see Who He is.
He is our Father.
He isn’t dear Sir, to whom it may concern, occupant or dear Santa. Neither is He the big Guy upstairs, the reluctant landlord or a distant relation.
He is our Father.
Jesus refers us to the relationship we have with God first. The relationship of a Father and His children.
Romans 8:14-15 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Only through what Jesus Christ has done on the cross and our receiving Him, can we become children of God. Only then do we have the right to call God our Father.
Many have a problem with relating to God as Father. How many earthly fathers have missed the mark, have misrepresented God? My guess is 100% of fathers have done that at some time… in some way.
Some fathers have committed heinous crimes against their children. Some have abandoned their little ones. Some have kept themselves emotionally distant and uninvolved in the lives of their children.
Some have neglected to teach their children right from wrong, or to teach them that there is a God. Others have let their moods rule the home and left the child frightened and unsure. Never knowing when it was safe to approach him or if they should stay out of sight.
All these things and more have earthly fathers done and so many grow up with a misconception of what a father should look like. However, it is our sin if we cling to the lie of the misrepresentation and refuse to discover the truth.
Have you ever been misrepresented? Has no one spoken falsely about you? Has there never been a time when others misunderstood and misjudged your heart? Did others believe a lie about you? And aren’t the chances that you’ve done the same to someone else rather high? Is there not a single area of your life or heart that you know falls short of rightly representing God?
Forgive. Forgive others as your Father forgives you. And go forward. Learn Who your Father really is.
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
He is not earthly. He is in heaven. He is higher. He is Lord above the earth. He is God Most High. All seeing, all knowing. He is in heaven where there is no sin.
Yet He has chosen to give us the right to call Him Father.
He is holy. He is pure. He is set apart and there is none like Him.
Yet He didn’t turn away from us, but offered Himself as a living sacrifice to pay our sin debt once and for all. He reached down and ripped the veil in the temple from top to bottom and calls us to come in, to bask in the comfort and the wonder of His love and compassion.
1John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
We love Him because He first loved us.”
He, our Father, is perfect love.
Are you still afraid? Do sins past or present restrain you from knowing your heavenly Father intimately? Do they keep you bound to earth, fearful of entering the Holy of Holies?
Hebrews 4:15-16 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Boldly. Not haughtily. Not demanding. Not in self-importance or arrogance.
Boldly. Fearlessly. Confidently. Assured.
Fearless because He loves us.
Confidently because He calls us His children.
Assured because of what Jesus has done.
The dictionary defines the word pray as: To address prayers to a deity, idol, etc., To ask (someone) earnestly; entreat.
Most of the world prays. To one god or another… sending up ‘good thoughts’.
In Christianity alone is prayer built on an intimate relationship between God and man. In all other religions it is man reaching toward ‘god’. Only in Christianity is there the incredible love of God reaching toward man.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:13, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
Do you stand before Him in fear of this verse or confidant in His provision?
Knowing there is nothing hidden from Him, that He knows every good thing and every loathsome deed and thought of our naked, exposed hearts, lets look at God’s response in Genesis.
Before the fall, Genesis 2:25, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
Freedom and safety… confidence and trust in God.
After the fall, Genesis 3:7, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”
Haven’t we all attempted to fix what we’ve done wrong to cover our shame? I personally could have filled a walk-in closet with all the fig leaf apparel I’ve fashioned over the years.
Genesis 3:9, “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?”
God knew where Adam was and knew exactly what he had done.
God reaches toward man.
Genesis 3:10 “So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Adam knew God! He had spent time with Him, knew His love, and knew His joy… had walked in the garden with Him.
It was sin that shattered Adam’s trust. Not God. And he hid himself from God.
Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Are there area’s of your life that you have covered up with scratchy fig leaves? Things you are trying to keep hidden?
Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
God Himself took the animal, spilled its blood and made the sacrifice to cover their sin.
Hebrews 9:14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
God wants you to come to Him. To know Him. To fellowship with Him. To serve Him. To walk in the cool of the garden… unashamed, cleansed from all unrighteousness by Jesus, who’s life was given for this very purpose.
Prayer – a channel of living trust. Communion with our Father established through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Prayer – to our Father who is in heaven. He is holy and pure.
Prayer – in Jesus.
“In Jesus name, amen” does not mean ‘over and out’. It isn’t the special secret code to assure God will say yes to our petitions either.
It is our stand before God… in Jesus… by what He has done.
When God looks at us He sees us ‘in Jesus’.
O sinful man (woman) that I am, yet God, my Father looks on me with such love. He looks on me and His eyes see the work of His Son…. And He declares that it is good.
Father, we come before You confident in Your perfect love. Thank You for making the way for us to come to You. We stand in the love, life and redemptive work of Jesus. Mold us into His image; use us to pray for others, just as He did.
Teach us how to pray. Amen
Study questions
1) When you pray how do you approach God in your heart? Do you know Him as your Father? Do you see Him as a reluctant listener or a Father filled with love for you?
2) In Galatians 4:7 it speaks of our no longer being slaves but sons, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. What is the importance of our being granted the place of the son?
3) If you can immediately point to someone in your life that has misrepresented God to you, have you dealt with it in your own heart? Have you been willing for God to teach you the truth about Himself?
4) Are there specific things that you know of in your own life that misrepresent God to others? Are you willing for Him to change you? Is there anyone you need to go to and ask his or her forgiveness?
copyright 2002 tkc
This chapter we’ll look at the Who of the prayer question. Who is He and who are we to approach Him?
This may seem to be an elementary question, yet when the disciple asked Jesus to teach them to pray in Luke 11:1, this is the first lesson Jesus touches on.
In Matthew 6:9 Jesus says, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
Remember last week we talked about Isaiah 41:1, “…Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.”
To come near God we first must see Who He is.
He is our Father.
He isn’t dear Sir, to whom it may concern, occupant or dear Santa. Neither is He the big Guy upstairs, the reluctant landlord or a distant relation.
He is our Father.
Jesus refers us to the relationship we have with God first. The relationship of a Father and His children.
Romans 8:14-15 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Only through what Jesus Christ has done on the cross and our receiving Him, can we become children of God. Only then do we have the right to call God our Father.
Many have a problem with relating to God as Father. How many earthly fathers have missed the mark, have misrepresented God? My guess is 100% of fathers have done that at some time… in some way.
Some fathers have committed heinous crimes against their children. Some have abandoned their little ones. Some have kept themselves emotionally distant and uninvolved in the lives of their children.
Some have neglected to teach their children right from wrong, or to teach them that there is a God. Others have let their moods rule the home and left the child frightened and unsure. Never knowing when it was safe to approach him or if they should stay out of sight.
All these things and more have earthly fathers done and so many grow up with a misconception of what a father should look like. However, it is our sin if we cling to the lie of the misrepresentation and refuse to discover the truth.
Have you ever been misrepresented? Has no one spoken falsely about you? Has there never been a time when others misunderstood and misjudged your heart? Did others believe a lie about you? And aren’t the chances that you’ve done the same to someone else rather high? Is there not a single area of your life or heart that you know falls short of rightly representing God?
Forgive. Forgive others as your Father forgives you. And go forward. Learn Who your Father really is.
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
He is not earthly. He is in heaven. He is higher. He is Lord above the earth. He is God Most High. All seeing, all knowing. He is in heaven where there is no sin.
Yet He has chosen to give us the right to call Him Father.
He is holy. He is pure. He is set apart and there is none like Him.
Yet He didn’t turn away from us, but offered Himself as a living sacrifice to pay our sin debt once and for all. He reached down and ripped the veil in the temple from top to bottom and calls us to come in, to bask in the comfort and the wonder of His love and compassion.
1John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
We love Him because He first loved us.”
He, our Father, is perfect love.
Are you still afraid? Do sins past or present restrain you from knowing your heavenly Father intimately? Do they keep you bound to earth, fearful of entering the Holy of Holies?
Hebrews 4:15-16 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Boldly. Not haughtily. Not demanding. Not in self-importance or arrogance.
Boldly. Fearlessly. Confidently. Assured.
Fearless because He loves us.
Confidently because He calls us His children.
Assured because of what Jesus has done.
The dictionary defines the word pray as: To address prayers to a deity, idol, etc., To ask (someone) earnestly; entreat.
Most of the world prays. To one god or another… sending up ‘good thoughts’.
In Christianity alone is prayer built on an intimate relationship between God and man. In all other religions it is man reaching toward ‘god’. Only in Christianity is there the incredible love of God reaching toward man.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:13, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
Do you stand before Him in fear of this verse or confidant in His provision?
Knowing there is nothing hidden from Him, that He knows every good thing and every loathsome deed and thought of our naked, exposed hearts, lets look at God’s response in Genesis.
Before the fall, Genesis 2:25, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
Freedom and safety… confidence and trust in God.
After the fall, Genesis 3:7, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”
Haven’t we all attempted to fix what we’ve done wrong to cover our shame? I personally could have filled a walk-in closet with all the fig leaf apparel I’ve fashioned over the years.
Genesis 3:9, “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?”
God knew where Adam was and knew exactly what he had done.
God reaches toward man.
Genesis 3:10 “So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Adam knew God! He had spent time with Him, knew His love, and knew His joy… had walked in the garden with Him.
It was sin that shattered Adam’s trust. Not God. And he hid himself from God.
Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Are there area’s of your life that you have covered up with scratchy fig leaves? Things you are trying to keep hidden?
Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
God Himself took the animal, spilled its blood and made the sacrifice to cover their sin.
Hebrews 9:14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
God wants you to come to Him. To know Him. To fellowship with Him. To serve Him. To walk in the cool of the garden… unashamed, cleansed from all unrighteousness by Jesus, who’s life was given for this very purpose.
Prayer – a channel of living trust. Communion with our Father established through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Prayer – to our Father who is in heaven. He is holy and pure.
Prayer – in Jesus.
“In Jesus name, amen” does not mean ‘over and out’. It isn’t the special secret code to assure God will say yes to our petitions either.
It is our stand before God… in Jesus… by what He has done.
When God looks at us He sees us ‘in Jesus’.
O sinful man (woman) that I am, yet God, my Father looks on me with such love. He looks on me and His eyes see the work of His Son…. And He declares that it is good.
Father, we come before You confident in Your perfect love. Thank You for making the way for us to come to You. We stand in the love, life and redemptive work of Jesus. Mold us into His image; use us to pray for others, just as He did.
Teach us how to pray. Amen
Study questions
1) When you pray how do you approach God in your heart? Do you know Him as your Father? Do you see Him as a reluctant listener or a Father filled with love for you?
2) In Galatians 4:7 it speaks of our no longer being slaves but sons, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. What is the importance of our being granted the place of the son?
3) If you can immediately point to someone in your life that has misrepresented God to you, have you dealt with it in your own heart? Have you been willing for God to teach you the truth about Himself?
4) Are there specific things that you know of in your own life that misrepresent God to others? Are you willing for Him to change you? Is there anyone you need to go to and ask his or her forgiveness?
copyright 2002 tkc