Abba Father (The Lord's Prayer Explained - Part 1)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Matthew 10, 29 through 31. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father's will, but the very hairs of your head are numbered.

God’s Care for His Children in the Sermon on the Mount

So what's the point of all that? Do not fear, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. God cares about you. You don't have to do all this stuff to try to get him to do something. So in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, he's been speaking about what?

The heart, right? The heart attitude of man, our motivations. But what about the heart of God? We haven't spent much time talking about that. What about the heart of God? God is not only willing to act on your behalf, God wants to act on your behalf.

So Jesus is introducing really a new idea. It's not new for us because we were just brought up with it. People today all over the world, all the different religions of the world have now latched on to this.

Well, not all of them, but many of them. The idea that God is our father. For example, in Islam, they don't refer to God as their father. Some religions do. Some religions have accepted that. Islam doesn't.

God is, you know, he's the master. We do what he says, but he's not father. But for the Christian, God is Abba, Father. He's your Heavenly Father, which makes you what? Now there is a condition. It's not that every human being on earth is a child of God and that he's the father of everybody.

You have to have faith. So for the one who puts their faith in Jesus Christ, you're adopted into the family of God, brought into the family through faith and baptism. But we are now his child. Does a child need to coerce their parents into doing things for them?

Now I realize that happens. But the general way it's supposed to work is parents care for the needs of the children. It's automatic, right? A parent doesn't need a big production. They shouldn't. They should just want to, hey, they love their kids.

They want to do things for their kids. Also, we can pray to God wherever we are. We don't need to be at a particular place. You don't have to come to this building to pray. We talked about this and how, you know, the church is necessary.

We need one another. We need to have Christian fellowship, and we are to worship God as a body. But you don't need to be here to pray. You can pray wherever you are. Pray any time. But what's important is that we pray from the heart.

It's personal. It's sincere. We love God, and he loves us back. So Jesus, I think what the Lord's Prayer is, it's a model prayer. That's what it is, a model prayer. That doesn't mean we can't say it once a week, right?

But it's a model, and it kind of directs our other prayers. It tells us how to pray. That's really what it is. In the other gospel where this is recorded, Luke, I believe, they ask Jesus, teach us to pray, and then he gives the Lord's Prayer.

So, yeah, it's a model. Look at verse 9. In this manner, therefore, pray. Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name. So we're just going to go through this point by point. There's three petitions that are directed to God, and then there are three petitions or three things that are directed towards our needs.

This is a good thought to sort of balance our prayers, because we don't want prayer to be just a list. Dear God, I want you to do this, and please do this, and give me that, and give me that. Like that's part of prayer, asking for things, but that's not all prayer is.

So we are to show our love and reverence to God. So how does he start out? Hallowed be thy name. Okay, so God's name needs to be kept. What does that mean? Be kept holy. Okay, so start with addressing the Lord, and we address him as Father.

The Jews did not do this. This is a New Testament concept that we talked about. We're not just God's subjects. We are his children, and we should take God's name. Whenever we speak of God, we should treat his name as holy.

Hallowed be thy name. So this is one of the commandments, to honor your father and mother. Now I realize we live in 2023, and kids say all sorts of things about their parents that are disrespectful, and you see this on TV, and society's sort of broken down to where it's not uncommon to see children being disrespectful to their parents, and it happens in the open, and it's just part of life.

But that was something that was, I'm sure it happened, but it was really unthinkable, really, in Jewish society. What's the commandment? Exodus 20, verse 7, you shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

And that's sort of based on the fifth commandment, is based on that, that we are to honor what? Show our parents honor. Honor your father and your mother. So the point is, when we speak of God, we should speak of him reverently.

We should show God respect, just like we would show our parents respect. Using God's name in vain has become something that's ubiquitous, I guess. People do it, and they don't even think about it. Like saying, OMG, right?

You text, OMG. And you know what that stands for. But really, that's a way of using God's name in vain, because you're not really talking about God. You're just using his name in a flippant way. And I realize a lot of people do that, and they're not intentionally trying to misuse the name of God.

But when you hear people use the name of Jesus Christ as part of a curse. Listen, I'm, as a Christian, I don't swear. And I don't like hearing people swear. And notice I said, as a Christian, I don't swear.

I didn't say as a pastor, I don't know. Just as a Christian, I don't swear. If I stub my toe, something could come out, but it would never be intentional. But when I hear people use the name Jesus Christ with a few other words, and you've heard that.

That's what really bothers me. The four-letter words, I don't like. But using the name of Jesus Christ, which that is, I think, intentional to just use his name as a curse word. I mean, that is something that every Christian should understand.

It's like, this is just something we don't do. So when we pray to God, keep his name holy. All right, now to the subject of the kingdom, verse 10. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Kingdom of God and Christ’s Reign

So this subject of the kingdom, a lot of people, Christians, disagree about what the kingdom is. But Jesus says that we should pray that it, what? Thy kingdom come. Elsewhere in the gospels, he tells his disciples that the kingdom of God is within you.

Well, how is the kingdom within us, but we're also praying that the kingdom comes? Well, I think it's very simple. Jesus is the king. We're praying for the kingdom, but Jesus as king rules and reigns in our hearts, right?

In the hearts of Christians, Jesus is our Lord. He is our king. Is Jesus the king of the United States of America, though? I know they say, in God we trust, but I just don't believe them anymore. I'm sorry.

I mean, there might be a few who really think that, but. So Jesus is not king of Leveret. He's not king of, I mean, he is spiritually. He will be, but Jesus is not ruling and reigning here on the earth right now.

He is not recognized as king of this country right now. He will be king of all the nations, but see that's what we're praying for. Thy kingdom come. So the kingdom will come. It will be established on the earth.

Jesus will rule and reign over the nations, but that's when he returns at the Second Advent. And we're at least a few years away from that. So the kingdom is within Jesus, hopefully, as a believer. He's reigning in your heart, but he's not reigning on earth.

So we're praying for the kingdom to come.

Amen?

All right. Verse 11. We are told by Christ to pray. Here's a petition. We're asking that God would give us something.

All right.

Before we were praying to God about his name and your kingdom come. Now we're praying something for us. So we are told in verse 11 to pray to God and ask for a Mercedes-Benz, right, as the song goes.

Or an F -150, if that's more your style. And I would just say, if you have one, hey, thank God that you have one. But what does he say? Give us this day our daily bread. What does that tell you? Well, here's the thought that some people have.

And I actually think it's, I mean, there's some truth to it maybe. The thought that some people have is you shouldn't pray for anything big. Just pray for your daily bread. You know, if you get a slice of bread for dinner tonight, just be happy with that.

Be content with that. Well, if that's all we did have, if we just had the bare minimum, we should be content.

Amen.

But this idea, don't pray for anything beyond that. Don't pray for anything big. I just want to, I'm not sure that's what Jesus is saying. I just want to read what one commentator says. Give us this day.

The word bread here doubtless refers to everything necessary to sustain life. This petition implies our dependence on God for the supply of our wants. As we are dependent on him one day as much as the other.

It was evidently the intention of the Savior that we should be offering our prayers every day. So give us this day, our daily bread. In other words, just pray every day.

Yes.

Whatever you need, pray for that, but pray every day. So if that's the intention that lines up with what the apostle Paul says in first Thessalonians 517, that Christians are to pray what? Without ceasing.

That doesn't mean that you need to be praying every minute of every hour of every day. That's not the point, but pray every day. We can do this. We should do this. Pray every day. In scripture, the Jews did this and Christians did this.

They prayed before what event? Every time they did something they would pray.

What is it?

Before they ate, right? Bless the meal. So we would ask God and pray to bless the food. So I think that's what he's saying. Pray without ceasing. Pray every day. Ask God for the things that you need. But doesn't God already know the things that you need?

Yes.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things, the daily needs, they will be what? Added unto you. So I would just say don't limit God. Well, I'm just going to pray for the basic things.

Well, you can pray for the basic things, but don't limit God. I think there's two errors. There's the prosperity gospel where that guy was praying to the Lord, Lord give me a $65 million private jet. That's a little excessive I think.

So I think that is one error. But you know the poverty gospel, I think there is an error called the poverty gospel. Because a father, parents, I don't want to use the word spoil, but sometimes parents want to give their children above and beyond.

Don't they? I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Jesus will say later in chapter seven. I know that's not what I'm supposed to be saying right now to some of you. Jesus will say in chapter seven, or what man is there among you?

If his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil, and Jesus is just acknowledging the sinful condition of mankind, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?

Asking God for Daily Bread and Good Gifts

So I think God oftentimes wants to give us above and beyond. In Psalm chapter two, just to add to this. The father says to the son, ask of me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance. You realize the father is going to give to Jesus all things?

Like literally all things. The whole world, the nations are yours. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possessions. If we are in Christ, what does that mean?

We get to share in all of that. So don't limit God. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornickchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.