15th February 2026 - Brendan Hurley

It's great to be with you today. If you've got

your Bible there, please keep it open at Matthew

6. And let's ask God for help as we look at his

word now. Father, we ask that your word would

grip us today, that it would change our hearts,

that we would see how wonderful and awesome it

is to know you as Father. And we ask this in

Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I was watching a show

a little while ago called Hijack. And you can

guess, let's see if this works. No? Okay. That's

all right. You can guess what it's about. It's

about hijacking. And this plane gets hijacked

by a group of terrorists. I must admit, I couldn't

really get into the show. I don't know if it's

any good. I lasted half an episode. But I was

taken in by one scene. During the hijacking,

one of the frightened stewards on the plane starts

praying. And nearby there's a priest, a very

British priest with his liturgical collar on.

And the priest turns to the steward and says,

take it from me, that's not going to get you

anywhere. And you think what a thing for him

to say. Whether or not he believes it, it's a

bit heartless, isn't it? Probably not a very

good priest. But it's worth asking, does this

priest have a point? What difference would it

make to pray in that situation? If the steward

prays, will God strike down the terrorists? Or

having prayed, will God now somehow save the

passengers? Or really, is the prayer meant to

be some sort of psychological crutch just to

calm him down? Does prayer actually change anything?

And if not, why bother? Now, hijacking is an

extreme example, but what about prayer in day

-to -day life? The person who sits down and prays

each day, who prays the Lord's Prayer, who prays

about their struggles, their problems, the things

they want, are they just wasting their time?

What difference does it make to pray? Well, it

all boils down to who is actually there, isn't

it? If there is no God, then it's pointless.

I'd have to say, yeah, prayer is... At best,

a coping tool. If there's no God, that's all

it is. It's a psychological trick. If God is

impotent, if he wants to help but he can't, well,

that's not much better than a psychological trick,

isn't it? It's a bit of a shame and glad that

someone out there is wanting to help me, but

it's not much good for me. And if God's heartless,

if he's got the power but he won't use it, Well,

I guess maybe prayer might be helpful if you

catch God on a good day. So today I want to ask,

well, which of these is God actually like? I

don't want to say none of them. See, Jesus starts

the Lord's Prayer with an address, Our Father

in Heaven. And it's to remind us who we're praying

to. Have you ever wondered why Jesus starts that

way? Why not, dear God, or almighty Yahweh, or

just look up and say your shopping list? It's

not that God needs us to pray that way. It's

not that God's there going, well, if you don't

pray to me, our Father in heaven, I won't be

listening until I hear those key words. No, this

first line, this address to God, is there for

our benefit. It reminds us of who we're praying

to. These four words actually do a lot of heavy

lifting for our hearts. They sort out so many

wrong ways of thinking we have about ourselves

and about God. This line reminds us that prayer

does make a difference because of who is there

when we're praying. So here's the big thing Jesus

is telling us. We bother with prayer because

our Father in heaven is there. We bother in prayer

because our Father in heaven is there. And then

there's three things that we see that shape how

we pray, that we're meant to think of when we

actually pray our Father in heaven. Firstly,

our Father has adopted us. Secondly, our Father

loves us dearly. So let's have a look at those

three things. Firstly, our Father has adopted

us. You've got to ask, why our? Why don't we

start the Lord's Prayer with my Father in heaven?

Well, there's two reasons for that. First, when

we pray our, it snaps us out of our self -centred

self -absorption. God is at work, not just in

my life. but in the lives of his people all over

the world. See, the default position for humanity

is to make it all about me, to make myself at

the centre of the universe. Think back to when

you looked at an old class photo. Do you have

one of those sitting at home, one of your school

photos? Who do you instantly look for when you

look at the photo? Yourself, that's right. Because

we just have this instinct that's... within us

to be kind of on about number one, on about me.

I mean, I've got five kids. Do you know what

I've never had to do with any one of them? Never

had to teach them to be selfish. They've already

got that one down pat, you know? Oh, come on

now, Gracie. I need you to just hang on to that.

Don't share it. Come on. Never been a problem.

But God is different. God is the other person

centred God. He's Trinity. And because he's so

loving and in this beautiful, harmonious, loving

relationship within himself, he then loves humanity

from that love. So much so that he sent his son

to die on the cross. This is a God who is all

about other person centred love. So when I pray

our, I'm remembering. I've been adopted into

that family, that big family all over the world,

that family where God's people take on the family

likeness, where they try and imitate the Trinitarian

God by being other person centred in how they

love. See, in God's family we're different because

our Father is different. We want to help you

with that here at Northern Hope. We're hoping

at some point in the future we're doing a few

little things behind the scenes, but we want

to set up a weekly email that everyone at church

gets with a prayer guide about different people

and places to pray for, not just in our church

but also in other countries. We're hoping to

get that up and running at some point in the

near future. But also, if you don't want to do

it our way, there's so many other great options,

aren't there? You can look at Open Doors. They've

got a great website all about the persecuted

church and what you can pray for the persecuted

church. There's great prayer diaries and prayer

guides for MAF and BCA, Barnabas Fund, Prayer

Points in Growth Group. I mean, that's all kind

of praying in line with our, isn't it? Because

we're being other person centred. But there's

a second reason Jesus says pray our Father in

Heaven. It's reminding us that only God's children

can pray our Father. See, a Muslim can't pray

our Father in heaven. A secular agnostic can't

pray our Father in heaven. Technically, that

steward on the plane can't pray our Father in

heaven. Because the only people who can truly

pray this are those who actually have been adopted

by God. They're the only ones who are part of

the hour. It's not every single human being.

I mean, we're all creatures made in God's image.

That's a great gift that God has given us. But

we're not all his children. Have a look at what

Ephesians 2, 3 says. It says, We weren't children

of God. We were children of God's anger. Because

we're part of that fallen humanity who's rejected

God's rule over their lives. But here's the wonderful

blessing that Christians have. Have a look at

John 1 .12 .13. But to all who did receive him,

and that's Jesus, who believed in his name, he

gave the right to become children of God, who

were born not of blood, you know, you didn't

have the right DNA, nor of the will, that wasn't

your decision. of the flesh nor of the will of

man but of God see Jesus came into the world

and died on the cross not just to save you from

sin and hell as important as that is but he died

so that you could become a child of God so that

you could enter the hour in our father in heaven

to be a part of God's family See, Jesus is the

only one in the universe in and of himself who

can say, my father in heaven, because he's God's

begotten son. But we can say, our father in heaven,

because Jesus died for us. And the relationship

Jesus has with God is now what we have with God.

What an amazing blessing. Over the years, I've

met some wonderful families who've fostered or

adopted kids whilst having biological kids of

their own. And all of them seem to have the same

approach. They treat all their kids as they're

all our kids. They're equal. Whether they're

biological or adopted, we love them equally.

I think that's the right way to do it. But I

have one mate who sadly seems to be the exception.

He's adopted, his parents are overseas, and he

goes back and he visits them. And they're kind

to him, but he's always treated a little bit

differently to the biological kids. He gets left

out. I remember him telling me that they took

a photo of the family and they said, everyone

in, everyone in, but not you. You're one of the

adopted ones and you take the photo. And it was

so hard for him because he felt like a second

class. family member. Well, Christians, when

you pray, do you ever feel like that? What if

you've been slack and you've not been, you know,

living very well lately? You've kind of been

ignoring God, putting him on the back burner.

Do you ever start having doubts? Maybe I'm just

like a second -class Christian, a second -class

family member. If you do, Remember John 17, 23.

Here's what it says. Then the world will know

that you sent me, that's Jesus, and have loved

them, those who believe in Jesus, even as you

have loved me. God sees you now as if you were

Jesus, on your good weeks, on your bad weeks.

He relates to you that way, not because of your

performance, but because of what Jesus has done

for you. All the time, right now, if you trust

Jesus, you've been adopted by God. You can say

our to remember you're part of a bigger family

and that you have the same relationship with

God that Jesus does. What an amazing blessing.

And that all comes from one word. So let's dig

in a bit further. What is that new relationship

all about? If we get to call God our, you know,

just as Jesus, you know, we're having that same

relationship, what's it actually mean to have

that relationship? Well, the next bit is that

we call him our father. We have a father in heaven

who loves us dearly. Our father loves us dearly.

And sometimes we don't realise just how important

and wonderful this is. This is what sets apart

Christianity from other religions. See, God is

not just our king or our judge. Jesus is inviting

us to call God Father, to have a unique, close

intimacy with the creator of the universe. In

his brilliant book, Knowing God, J .I. Packer,

says this, 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. He then goes on to talk about

how adoption is the highest privilege of the

Christian. The best thing you can get is that

you are adopted into God's family. I mean, it's

pretty awesome that you get to be righteous in

God's sight, justified by Jesus. But he says

it's even better that you can call God Father,

be in his family. That is amazing. The same relationship

Jesus has with God is what you have. God is your

Father who loves you and cares about you. You

are more loved than you can ever fathom. As a

kid, I watched The Magic School Bus. It's a great

show. It was just really fun. I really enjoyed

it. If you haven't watched it, sad for you, go

home and watch it. But on the Magic School Bus,

Miss Frizz, she'd take the kids anywhere. She'd

take them out into the ocean and they'd go into

sort of the bus would become like a submarine.

They could go out of space and the bus would

become like a rocket. They'd even go into the

human body and swim around in that and see what's

going on in there. Well, I want you to just imagine

for a sec that you jump on the Magic School Bus.

We could call it the Northern Hope Bus. And what

if you got to go into God's heart? Like if you

could go see God's heart, what do you think you

would see? I reckon you'd see a heart of unimaginable,

immeasurable love that loves us just as much

as his son. A love that only wants good for his

children. If we could see it, I reckon we'd be

overwhelmed and brought to tears because of how

gloriously loving it is. And yet how easily we

forget that God's heart is like this. Here's

a good exercise if you want to see God's heart.

Read through the Gospels. Look at the affection

that the Father has for Jesus. He says, you're

my beloved son, with you I am well pleased. Now

when you read that, yes, that's teaching you

something about Jesus, but if you're in Christ,

that's teaching you something about you too.

That's how the Father sees you now. The same

spirit that empowered Jesus is in us. The New

Testament letters tell us that what the Son inherits

is what we inherit. The love Jesus has from his

father is yours. And if you're still not convinced,

look at the cross. See what it cost the father

to send his son, for the son to experience the

wrath that should have been ours as children

of wrath, that he drunk it down to the dregs

so that we could call God father and know him

as father. That shows the father's loving, immeasurable

loving heart for you. But here's the thing. Sometimes

when we pray, we forget that. It's easy to think,

and I don't know if you've ever thought this,

I've thought this, God can, but he probably won't.

You ever thought that when you're praying? God

can, but he probably won't. You feel like he's

powerful, but you've been praying for ages about

something and nothing seems to happen. It can

just feel like God's heartless because your prayers

just keep going unanswered. And you go, I know

he's not, but gee, it feels like a God. You feel

like you're just kicking me in the guts again

and again because this thing isn't getting resolved.

I think we've all gone through times like that.

And if you haven't, well, that's great. I wouldn't

be surprised if you experienced some at some

point. But here's what I try to do in those times.

I try to remember some words I read by Charles

Spurgeon. He once said, I just think that's so

powerful. Let me read it again. And he's too

wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace

his hand, we must trace his heart. Have you seen

God's heart? Have you seen that you have a loving,

kind, generous father in heaven? That needs to

shape our thinking. It needs to shape how we

do everything. It needs to shape especially.

How we pray. But before we pray, we don't want

to just remember that we have a new relationship

with God through Jesus and that we're part of

God's family. We don't want to just remember

that God is a good and caring Father. We also

need to remember God's immense power. Here's

the third thing we need to see. Our Father rules

everything. Our Father rules everything. What

are we praying when we pray our Father in heaven?

Why in heaven? Is that God's postcode? Is that

God's address? No, it's describing his power.

Here's how Psalm 115 puts it, which we read earlier.

Our God is in the heavens, and because he is,

he does all that he pleases. God is all -powerful.

The God who is a father to every Christian here

has infinite and unlimited power. Do you know

what this means for you? You don't just have

friends in high places. I mean, you might know

a few powerful people here in Cairns. You don't

just have friends in high places. You have a

father in the highest place. One of my struggles

as a dad of five... is lack of resources. I'm

only human. I've got limited energy. I get tired

from work and housework. The kids want to play

with me, and sometimes I'm just like, kids, I

don't have the energy right now. And I've got

limited money. You know, I'm doing okay, but,

like, I can't give everything I'd like to the

kids because, you know, I mean, probably spoil

them anyway, so it's probably a good thing. But

you've got to make choices with your money. All

fathers do, don't they? And limited time. I can't

be everywhere at once, especially when there's

five of them. They outnumber you. I remember

seeing the transition from two kids to three,

and you go, wow, now they outnumber us. What

are we going to do? If you're a parent, just

be aware that's the big moment when you go from

two to three. And that's okay. That's just being

human. It's like... Clint Eastwood said, a man's

got to know his limitations. But God is not like

that. Over the years as we've driven to church

or other places in the car, we've sung this song.

You might have sung it too with your kids or

you might have sung it just belting it out the

window. All power to you if you do. It's a great

song. Do you remember it? My God is so big, so

strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God

cannot do. So much great theology in kids' songs,

isn't it? That we easily forget. God can do anything.

Jesus prays in the garden, all things are possible

for you. On that plane, God could stop the hijackers.

You betcha. He's all powerful. All things are

possible for him. The whole universe is at his

disposal. And knowing that, knowing that should

make us pray boldly. I mean, God can raise his

own son from the grave and make him Lord of all.

I mean, we can ask God for anything, knowing

that he is able to do it. So that means as a

church, we need to pray big prayers. Because

we have a big God. There's no ceiling to what

God can do. But here's the thing. Do you really

believe that? It's so easy to sort of pray prayers

that are a little bit small, you know. Yeah,

God, I don't want to ask for too much. It's almost

that mentality. That's forgetting what God is

like. We can pray lots, we can pray big, and

then we watch. And if it doesn't happen, we trust

that our Father knows best. But at the same time,

we need to be praying big and bold prayers because

we have a big and powerful God. So what do you

believe? Look at your prayers. You will see what

you think about God. Do you believe he is as

powerful as the Bible is saying he is? All right,

well, let's draw some threads together. We asked,

does prayer actually change anything? And I hope

you saw today that, yes, it does. It changes

what happens. It changes us. Because as we pray,

we're learning to be other person centred. It

does a whole range of things. But prayer is not

powerful because it's inherently powerful. Prayer

is powerful because of who we pray to. Here's

the big thing we saw today. We bother with prayer

because our Father in heaven is there. That's

what makes prayer powerful. We bother with prayer

because our Father in heaven is there. And there

were three things we looked at with that address.

Our Father has adopted us. That's the our. Our

Father loves us dearly. That's the Father. And

our Father rules everything. That's the in heaven.

So what's that mean for us? Well, there'll be

some people here today who are not yet children

of God. It wasn't my intention to offend you

or anything in things I've said earlier. All

I want to do is ask you today, what do you believe

about God? I mean, you might be like that steward.

You don't relate to God except when you're desperate.

You might be like that priest. You don't believe

God's there at all. But if that's you, I'm trying

to show you today that you're missing out. The

death and resurrection of Jesus shows that prayer

is powerful, that there really is a God who is

there. I had a friend who used to say, Jesus

nails God down for us. It's a terrible pun, but

I love it. If you aren't sure about whether there

really is a God, then please come have a chat

with me. I'd love to talk to you. I'd love to

show you that there really is a God who is there

and that the greatest proof of that is the Lord

Jesus. And that it is the best thing when you

know that Lord Jesus and can have God as your

father. It is completely life changing, actually

eternity changing. So if you want to find out

more, please come have a chat with me. I'd love

to talk to you about it. But for those of us

who are here today and we are children of God,

we do trust in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

And the challenge isn't just to pray more. It's

to pray more remembering who we pray to. We're

praying to our all -powerful Father. Praying

to a God like ours is so incredibly powerful.

Do you know, as you look around today, this room

is proof of answered prayer. There's people here

who know and love the Lord Jesus because people

were praying for you. And you became Christians.

And that is an incredible miracle. You know,

we saw today we were children of wrath. Earlier

in Ephesians 2, it talks about how we were dead

in our sins and transgressions. We were unable

to do anything. We were hopeless and helpless.

And God saved us. And one of the things he used

for that is people's prayers. Prayer is powerful

because we pray to a powerful God. So can we

be more ambitious as a church? Can we pray big,

bold prayers? Because we believe that our Father

loves us and cares about us, because we believe

that he is able to do more than we ask, think

or imagine. How about this? Here's some things

we could pray for. What about we pray that our

church would double in size? I'll give you a

hint. That might be something in our vision statement

that's coming up. Why don't we pray that our

non -Christian friends and families would be

converted? Diligently, zealously, let's pray

that because we know the sort of God we have,

he's able to do it. And he's more willing to

see them saved than we are. Why don't we pray

that those stubborn sins that cling to us like

barnacles, that God would put them to death?

Why don't we pray that the relationships we have

with one another would be unique and generous

and overflowing with love? Do you know, for me,

I've struggled for a long time with anxiety and

depression. And I tell you what, knowing who

I'm praying to and pouring out my heart to him

has been such a powerful tool to manage that

better. Don't mishear me. Mental health is very

complex. There's a lot of things we need to do

to manage it well. But prayer is a wonderful

aspect of it, especially when you're clear about

the God who you're praying to. We have an all

-powerful Father who loves us, whose love can

always be trusted, and when his hand doesn't

give us what we want, we can trace his heart

as well. When I feel or think like that priest,

when prayer seems like it won't get me anywhere,

the key is to remember the God who really is

there. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we've looked

at four words today, and yet there is so much

in them. Father, we ask that you would help us.

to see that you are a caring God, a loving God,

a powerful God, a wise God. Help us to see that

we have full and complete access to you because

of what Jesus has done. Help us to see that it's

not just about ourselves individually, but that

we have a big family all over the world that

we're now a part of. Father, please. Help us

to see how great it is to be your children and

to pray to you. And we ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.