The Lord's Prayer

Good morning, everyone.

I said this last week, and I say it again this week.

It's a great honor to open up God's Word with you this morning, wherever you may be.

And I said this last week, and I'll say it again this week.

This is great.

We have technology.

I really wish we could be together this morning, and looking forward to seeing you folks whenever

we're able to meet again at the Ottawa Little Theater.

If you have attended Messiah for some time, more than just a couple weeks, you will notice

that we pray the Lord's Prayer every single week.

It's a part of our service.

Matt did it just a few moments ago, and it is a mainstay of Christian worship.

It's a part of it.

It also, for us that have been a part of Messiah for some time, it can get old hat.

We can go on autopilot when we have our prayers, when we go through the liturgy.

I don't want to say familiarity breeds contempt, but maybe familiarity breeds apathy.

The thing is, the Lord's Prayer isn't just something that we ought to rifle off.

It's very, very important.

In fact, it's actually the basis upon which we should model our prayer life.

In many ways, in our lives, we should model our lives after the Lord's Prayer.

The centuries-old way that Christians have instructed other Christians, other potential Christians

on the Christian faith have centered around three things.

The Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer.

And really, an easy way to think of it is what to believe, how to live, and how to pray.

These things are just the rocks, the foundational pieces of what it means to be a Christian.

Last week, we looked at the Ten Commandments as the means by which we are to live out the

gospel as God's people.

So this week, we're looking at the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

If you have a Bible, I would love it if you would follow along with me, although I'm sure

we'll have the words on the screen as well.

But if you have a Bible, pull it out.

The Lord's Prayer opens with an address to God.

Actually, before we get into this, I mean, like the Lord's Prayer, we could do a summer

series on this over seven, eight, nine weeks.

We have one week to do it.

So we're not necessarily going to go forensic in terms of an exposition on the Lord's Prayer.

But it's important that we get some handles on it before we jump in.

You'll see that the Lord's Prayer opens up with an address to God.

We look at it in verse 9.

It says,

And then it's followed by seven petitions, three of which have to do with God, four of

which have to do of a personal nature.

And then it wraps up with a doxology or a bit of praise to the Lord.

And like I mentioned before, this gives us a framework for prayer and really a framework

for our lives as Christians.

The Lord's Prayer also is deeply important because it helps us to do three things.

It helps us to do three things.

It helps us not to emphasize the personal over the transcendent.

I'll explain this, but that's the first point.

The second thing is to not, it helps us not to value the giver over the gifts.

And the third thing it does is it helps us not just pray to God, but to also praise God.

So I'll say those three things again.

The first is it helps us, the Lord's Prayer helps us not to emphasize the personal over the

transcendent.

The second is not to value the gifts over the giver.

And the last thing that it helps us to do is to not just pray to God, but also to praise God.

Okay, so that first one, it helps us to not emphasize the personal over the transcendent.

So it's important to know that Jesus wasn't the only rabbi that was walking around in the

Galilee and in ancient Israel with followers.

That's not to somehow diminish who Jesus is, but just historically, there were other people

that claimed authority, that claimed to be great, great rabbis, maybe even Messiah figures.

Jesus wasn't the only one at that time.

They would teach on God, their understanding of God.

By the way, just to be clear, I'm not equating the two, okay?

Just explaining this.

They would teach on God, their understanding of God.

They would interpret the Bible in certain ways.

But it's really interesting that out of all of the documents we have from that first century,

even if we go back through the Old Testament, before Jesus, there wasn't any teaching on how

to pray by addressing God as Father.

There was no, up until Jesus, nobody taught, hey, when you pray, you should address God as Father.

It starts with Jesus.

That's significant.

It's not a throwaway, it's not something to throw away as if, you know, that's a detail

that doesn't really matter.

It's just a part of the story.

It matters because if we look at what precedes the Lord's Prayer, Jesus defines what is legitimate

prayer from not legitimate prayer.

And this is what he says in verse 5.

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray

in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by others.

Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.

Lord, jump down to verse 7.

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.

Jesus contrasts the Lord's Prayer that begins with our Father with two kinds of prayer.

I'll add a third one, and you'll understand why I'm going to add a third one.

But the first one is this ostentatious prayer, this almost obnoxious prayer, this prayer that

goes out and says, look at me, I'm a real religious person.

The type of prayer that is not so much for the connection between the person praying to

God, but for the connection of the person praying to everybody else that's watching them.

Jesus says that's not a good prayer.

In fact, that's not a prayer at all.

The second thing he talks about is this thoughtless religious prayer as if to strong arm God into

doing the things that you want him to do.

I have prayed, I have been religious, I have spent hours heaping up words, doing religious

things, praying nonstop.

You better hear me, you better do what I say.

It's almost as if you are forcing God into a corner to act.

Jesus here, he says that's no way to pray either.

The third category I would throw in would be for those that don't pray at all.

That is one of those categories that is a tough thing for us to admit to if we call ourselves

Christian, if we have put our faith and hope and trust in Jesus, that there are seasons

that we just don't pray at all.

And by implication of Jesus teaching us how to pray, he is encouraging us to be people

who pray, to not be people that don't pray.

So really there's these three kinds of prayers that Jesus, one of them being no prayer at all,

approaches the prayer that Jesus then contrasts with what?

He says, but when you pray, in verse six, but when you pray, go into your room and shut the door

and pray to your father who is in secret and your father who sees in secret will reward you.

Verse eight, do not be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pray then like this, our father in heaven.

It means that our prayers are deeply, deeply, deeply personal.

It means that we are praying to God as father in relational terms.

That's very significant.

I will just say this.

The evangelical church for decades, I should say for decades as if I'm some kind of historian

for all of my life, has preached, you need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,

which is very true.

But they've said it in such a way that it has become kind of cliche,

a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a personal relationship with God,

as if to sap the very meaning behind it.

It's like a tagline.

It's maybe on a bumper sticker, a fridge magnet.

It's become kitschy to say, have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or a personal relationship with God.

Yet, if we just kind of step away from the kitschy evangelicalism,

by the way, we're an evangelical church if you're visiting us for the first time,

if we just take a step away from that,

there is something so profound about praying to God in a personal way,

in a relational way.

I can attest to it that Orthodox Jewish people do not pray to God in a personal way.

I mean, they would relate to God in a personal way in terms of the nation of Israel would,

but in a personal, personal way?

Islam similarly does not pray to a personal God.

Nowhere do we see this call to a personal prayer life with God

apart from what we see in the scriptures.

It means that we pray from this relational place,

not praying in a performative way to reach some relational place.

That we have union with God,

and from that union with God,

we then pray.

We don't pray in order

to force God's hand

for union with him.

If you remember last week,

and if you haven't,

we have it on YouTube,

we looked at the Ten Commandments,

and the remarkable thing about the Ten Commandments

is that it opens up by saying

that I am the Lord your God

who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

out of the house of slavery,

and then it goes on

with the rest of the Ten Commandments.

But it starts from a place of relationship,

a place of salvation.

So too does this,

when we say our Father.

If we say our Father of God,

we have to ask,

how then have we become children of God?

How are we able to call God Father?

So I'm trying to plant this church out in Kanata,

Messiah Kanata.

Please pray for us.

We have a Tuesday evening group

with some folks that have committed,

other folks that are just checking us out,

and we've been going through the Apostles' Creed.

It's been incredibly rich to go through it.

And last week,

we looked at the clause.

So we're going clause by clause

through the Apostles' Creed.

Last week,

we looked at the clause,

I believe in Jesus Christ,

his only Son,

our Lord.

And the question came up,

how can Jesus be the only Son of God,

as it says, right?

We believe in Jesus Christ,

his only Son.

And yet,

we are called children of God as well.

Are those two things contradictory?

They're not.

And here's why.

On the cross,

God,

the Son of God,

became fully incarnate,

fully man,

and fully God,

Jesus Christ.

And he died for the sins of the world

so that whoever believes in him

would not perish,

but have eternal life.

The Bible speaks of eternal life

as being adopted into God's family,

being called heirs of all of God's promises

and of the heavenly inheritance.

Simply put,

through the Son of God,

we have become adopted

sons and daughters of God.

So to pray our Father

is to be a person

who has put their faith

and hope and trust

in the risen Messiah,

Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

our Lord.

It is deeply personal

to pray our Father.

Why?

Because it came

at a deep personal cost

of God himself

in the person of Jesus.

Bearing our sins upon his shoulders,

paying the unjust penalty

for us

so that we might

be welcomed

into the family of God.

So it's a wonderful thing to pray.

It's a deeply humbling thing to pray.

It's so personal,

but look at

what it's followed up with.

So if you go down

to verse 9 again,

and it says,

Our Father,

what does it say

directly after that?

It says,

Our Father in heaven.

It's very,

very important

that we

don't pick

pieces

from the Bible

out of context.

So it says,

Our Father

who is in heaven,

or if you're used to

the King James,

who art in heaven.

To say that God

is in heaven

isn't to say

that he is in heaven

and not here

with us

right now.

We're not talking

about a Christian

Mount Olympus

where the gods

are up there

and sometimes

they come down

to visit.

Nor is it

if you're into comic books

like the Justice League's

Watchtower

where it's just kind of

hovering over earth

and then a superhero

beams down.

That's not what

it says,

it means when it says

Our Father

who is in heaven.

Rather,

it is this recognition

that God is sovereign

over all,

that he is creator

over all.

God,

one of his attributes

is his omnipresence

or his ubiquity,

that God cannot

be in one place

and not in the other.

He is everywhere.

Everything,

in fact,

is held together

by God.

So to say that

our Father

in heaven

isn't to say

to talk of a distant

God out there

but it's to talk

about a transcendent

God,

an almighty God

that we get

to call Father.

See,

God isn't some kind

of talisman,

not some kind

of

lucky rabbit's foot,

something that we

rub or hold

when we want

good things to happen.

God is deeply personal

but is infinitely

transcendent.

We submit to him

and his will,

not the other way around.

We come to him

on his terms,

not the other way around.

God.

And those things

have to be held

in tension.

They have to be.

In fact,

they don't just need

to be held in tension

but you have to

understand it

because one

without the other

negates

both.

If we say that

God is almighty

and he's not

personal,

then we are

creating

a God

that's a bit

tyrannical,

a God

that is not

the Christian

God in the Bible

but would look

more so

like a God

in the Greek myth

and the Greek myths.

If God is personal

and he is not

almighty,

then

on what basis

is he personal?

Has he dealt

with our sins?

Has he dealt

with our brokenness?

Can we put hope

in him

to right

all the wrongs?

You see,

saying our

Father in heaven

it is

one

and the same.

It is the

personal God.

It is the

transcendent God.

It is the

one true God.

So he is

personal

and

he is

transcendent.

And this is

important for us

as well.

It's good news

for us

because what

we do

a lot

as people

and I would

I would

say

this would

be

a cross

cultural

thing.

So if Canada

has many

different

cultures,

these subcultures,

then I think

this is something

that we could

maybe observe

throughout all

the different

cultures.

But what we do

is we put

our eternal

hope

into temporal

things

and we put

our

we look to

the eternal

to solve

our temporal

problems.

We invert

things.

We don't

we don't have

ordered proper

ordered lives.

And here

we have an

example

right off the

bat in the

Lord's Prayer

where God is

incredibly

personal

where he

helps us

in our

day to day.

It'll

we'll read

in a

in a brief

moment

about how

we can pray

for our

daily bread.

and yet

God is

incredibly

transcendent

so that

we can put

our eternal

hope in

him.

It helps us

to order

the way

we view

life.

Which also

leads really

nicely into

another thing

that the

Lord's Prayer

helps us

to do

to not

value

the giver

over the

gifts.

Years ago

before I was

married

before I

owned a

car

might have

even been

before I

owned a

bicycle.

I owned a

bus pass

though.

I would

ask a

friend

to borrow

her car

and

to do

errands,

to go to

town.

Good friend

at the

time.

And it

got to the

point that

I'd only

talk to

her if

I wanted

to use

her car.

car.

And she

called me

out on

it.

I've been

friends for

a long

time.

She called

me out

on it.

And I

remember

just I

knew she

was right

100%.

I felt

so much

shame.

I used

her.

I valued

her friendship

not for

her but

for what

she could

provide for

me.

That is

a car

to use.

In one

of, you

know, not

to brag or

anything like

that, but

one of the

better moments

of my

life, I

admitted

fault

immediately.

You're

right.

I knew

it.

And

anyways, it

was very

humbling.

It was

very humbling,

that's for

sure.

But how

often do

we treat

God like

this?

We value

not him,

we value

the things

he could

do for

us.

And how

does that

play out?

Well, we

pray when

things get

bad.

And I'm

not talking

necessarily,

you know,

you might

pray for

thank God

for the

food before

the meals

that you

eat.

You're

tucking the

kiddos in,

you know,

you say a

prayer with

them.

But we

only come

to God

in earnest

prayer when

we're on

the ropes,

when we

need

something.

And that's

a good thing

that we pray

to God when

we need

something.

But when

we only

really pray

to him,

when I

only pray

to him when

I need

something,

I,

I was

telling Matt

just before

we jumped

in on the

live stream

that this

has been

one of the

hardest times

of prep

for a

sermon for

me personally

because it

has exposed

how prayerless

of a man

I am.

And I'm

a minister

at church.

I'm supposed

to be praying

for you

guys on

the regular.

And it

just exposed

how prayerless

I am and

how I come

to the

Lord when

I want

something.

Maybe that's

the case for

you too.

And I will

just say

this.

I can

say this

to you

because I'm

including myself

in here.

That's

wrong.

It is

not good.

It is

not good

to ignore

the giver

of the

gift

and just

focus on

the gift.

All too

often this

is our

default,

but the

Lord's

prayer

counteracts

this

default.

default.

It

counteracts

this

default.

How does

it do

that?

Well,

the

Lord's

prayer,

if you

look,

and I

mentioned

this,

it's

seven

petitions,

and it

starts

off with

hallowed

be thy

name.

Your

kingdom

come,

your

will be

done on

earth as

it is

in heaven.

So

there's

the three

that are

directed

to God.

But then

there's

four for

us.

Give

us this

day our

daily bread.

Forgive

us our

debts as

we forgive

those who,

sorry,

I'm just,

I'm reading

it in the

ESV,

but remembering

it in the

King James.

As we

also have

forgiven our

debtors,

lead us not

into temptation,

but deliver us

from evil.

Okay,

those are the

four for

us.

So what we

end up doing

with the

Lord's

prayer is

that we

are constantly

praying for

God's name to

be hallowed,

for God's

kingdom to

come,

God's will

to be done,

and then we

pray for our

own requests.

And it is

this back

and forth

prayer that

we pray

ultimately for

God to

be held at

the highest

of esteem,

that his

name be

hallowed,

which is

simply just

to say that

God is

glorified,

that he is

holy,

that he is

other than

us,

that all

praise is

due to

him,

that his

kingdom

come is

a simple

way to

say how

the gospel

has transformed

the world

through Jesus,

through his

church,

by the power

of the Holy

Spirit,

and continues

to do so,

that we pray

for that,

and God's

will to be

done,

and we see

the most

precious,

beautiful picture

of that with

Jesus in the

garden,

where he

prays that

the cup

will be

passed,

that he

won't have

the drink

of the cup,

but ultimately

he prays to

the Father,

your will,

not mine,

be done.

And in

light of

that,

we say,

God,

please meet

my needs,

please help

me to walk

in your

ways,

please help

me to

avoid evil,

to avoid

darkness,

to avoid

brokenness,

and instead

live into

the good,

and live

into the

light,

and live

into

fullness,

and it's a

back and

forth,

where we're

praying to

God for

his name

to be

lifted high,

and for

him to

meet our

needs,

which glorifies

him as

well,

and eventually,

because nothing

is overnight,

but eventually

we'll start to

value the

giver much

more than

the gift.

Our lives

will be

ordered

properly,

where we

don't love

the temporal

over the

eternal.

not an

overnight

thing,

especially

if it's

your default,

like it's

my default.

But the

Lord's Prayer,

it helps us

with that.

We have to

also remember

that throughout

all of

Scripture,

the true

gift that

God wishes

to give

his people

is himself.

In the

garden,

it is not

the tree

of life

that is

the crown

jewel.

It is

God

himself

dwelling

with man.

All

throughout

the Old

Testament,

there are

instances

and prophecies,

writings.

If we

read through

the Psalms,

it's like

this as

well,

especially

Psalm 16.

But the

true hope

for the

human soul

is God

himself.

At the

end of

the age

in the

book of

Revelation,

St.

John's

Revelation,

what is

the culmination

of all

of redemptive

history?

Is it

not that

God would

dwell with

his people?

God is

the true

gift.

He is

the true

gift.

We can

forget this

all too

often.

And the

Lord's Prayer,

if we pray

it, if we

see what it

truly is,

it helps

us to

renounce

entitlement.

When we

pray to

the Lord,

your kingdom

come, your

will be done

on earth as

it is in

heaven, and

then we

pray, give

us today our

daily bread,

how do we

then act

smugly that

everything comes

from our own

hand, the

sweat of our

own brow,

love, the

hard work

we've done,

the excellent

investing that

we've accomplished

over the

decades, over

the years.

We recognize

that all of

God's gifts

to us, all

of the good

things in our

lives are

gifts from

him.

And we

don't pray

with effervency,

so when it

says, give us

this day our

daily bread, it

seems like a

redundant prayer,

but this is

like a

desperate cry

for people,

especially the

people that

would be

hearing Jesus

in the

Galilee, they

live a

hand-to-mouth

subsistence

type of life.

We don't,

even the

most poor

among us

don't live

that type of

life, maybe

some, but

not like it's

not across

the board.

And yet,

if God

did not give

us breath

in our lungs,

how would we

go to our

jobs, how

do we do

the things

that we

ought to

do?

So we

must understand

then that

there is no

entitlement, it

is all a

gift from

God.

There is a

thanksgiving

that bubbles

up.

We value

the giver

over the

gift.

God's name

and his

kingdom and

his will,

these are all

things that we

need to think

about and dwell

on, talk to

our friends

about, to

not push

aside because

of the

potential

cost that

it will bring

to our

lives.

We might be

very comfortable

with where

we're at now

and we're not

willing necessarily

to pray,

God, your

will be done

in and through

me.

But that's what

this prayer is

calling us to.

God's name.

Because if we

value the

giver over

the gift,

then we want

to please the

giver.

We want to

please the

Lord.

That our

lives, everything

we have, it

is a blessing

from him.

So how

then can we

use it?

And if we

don't feel

the hunger

pains in

our stomach,

then why don't

we seek out

people that

might feel

that?

Why don't we

help them?

Because God

has given

us good

gifts.

And if you're

afraid that

God's will

for your life

will cost

too much,

Romans 12,

2, it says,

what is the

will of God?

It is good,

pleasing,

and perfect.

Good,

pleasing,

and perfect.

What's the

will for your

own life?

Is it good,

pleasing,

and perfect?

Not just to

you, to your

family, but to

those around,

to God

himself?

Again, guys,

I'm pointing

the finger at

me.

It was a

really hard

week.

It was,

putting this

sermon together,

reading through

this word,

and I think

what is scaring

me the most,

in some ways,

true fear,

true confession

about my true

fears, is that

I'm going to go

back home after

this, and I'm

just going to

get on with

my life.

Just status

quo, talk

about doing

God's will,

and then,

I don't know,

I forget

about it.

If God's

will for

all of this

world, including

your life, is

that it is

good, and

pleasing, and

perfect, I

mean, what do

we have to

lose?

To know the

giver, to

know that he

delights in what

we do, and

that we delight

in him.

the chief

end of man,

it says, is

to glorify

God and

enjoy him

forever.

And I have

a friend who

likes adapting

that a little

bit, and he

says the

chief end of

man is to

glorify God

by enjoying

him forever.

remember that

Jesus says,

take my

yoke upon

you, my

yoke is

easy and

my burden

is light.

Even if we

do hard

things, if

we are doing

it and we

know that

God is

pleased, then

it doesn't

become so

burdensome.

but it's

hard when

it's our

default, when

it's my

default.

We must

not value

the giver

over the

gifts.

I think I've

said that

like half a

dozen times,

but it's

good.

Hopefully it's

memorable for

me and for

you.

It also

here talks

about forgiveness.

Again, in

light of God

giving us

forgiveness

through his

son.

And this

is the

tough part.

It tells

us to

pray, to

forgive, to

ask for

forgiveness for

ourselves, but

also that we

need to forgive

others.

And you see

divine forgiveness

is intertwined

with human

forgiveness.

That's really,

really hard if

you've been

wronged.

To pray

this.

To pray

that God

forgive me

like I've

forgiven

other people,

but do you

know what

that person

has done?

Do you

know what

my mom

or my

father, my

dad, my

brother, my

sister, my

spouse, my

spouse has

done?

Do you know

what my

ex-spouse has

done?

It's hard.

I mean, pain

and unforgiveness,

it is, I do

not want to

downplay that at

all.

but if we

understand that

we have been

forgiven an

eternal debt

by God, that

we have sinned

in a huge way

against the

living God, that

we will start

to see that

debt against

us begin to

diminish.

When you are

filled with

thanksgiving, when

you are filled

with, I should

say not filled,

when the chains

are taken off,

there is a

lightness that

you see things

differently,

especially if

you see

yourself as a

sinner, as

somebody who

has really

offended the

living God,

then who are

you to hold

it above

someone else

if God

doesn't hold

it above you?

In the end,

we want to

do, we want

to pray that

God would

forgive our

sins, and

in light of

praying, your

kingdom come,

your will be

done, hallowed

be your name.

It's hard, it's

not easy, but

without God's

forgiveness, we

have no mechanism

to deal with the

past.

We just don't.

Our culture

right now, what

is our culture

doing right now

with the past?

It's going on a

witch hunt.

It is a witch

hunt.

It really is.

And conservatives

are doing it just

as much as

liberals.

It is endemic.

It's a big

problem right

now.

It really is.

We don't know

what forgiveness

is.

We want to

tie people to

the stake and

be the person

to light the

wood, to set

them ablaze.

We don't

understand.

We don't have a

mechanism for

forgiveness to

deal with the

past, and yet

here it is.

Forgive us our

sins as we

forgive those who

sinned against

us.

What does

Jesus say?

How many times

must we forgive

our brother that

wrongs us?

He says seven

times seventy,

which is a

wonderful way of

saying however

long it takes.

That doesn't

mean we just

ignore wrongs.

Justice still

needs to be

carried out for

some heinous

things.

forgiveness.

But forgiveness,

I mean that is

freedom.

And we can

forgive others.

We can.

We can.

It might take

time.

Might need to

have a chat

with George or

myself or

somebody else you

trust.

Maybe work

through some of

this stuff.

It's not easy.

But it is

liberating,

especially if you

know that you've

been liberated

yourself.

The last thing

that this does,

the Lord's Prayer,

what it helps us

to do, is to

not just pray to

God, but to

praise him.

We've talked

a lot about

God, about

hallowing his

name, his

kingdom come,

his will be

done, about

how he meets

our needs.

And friends,

if you are

honest with

yourself right

now, this can

seem as though

there's a

weight, a

heavy weight

that's put on

you by me.

I mean,

potentially.

But this is,

like I mentioned,

one of the most

freeing things we

can do.

Remember that

God's will is,

it is good,

perfect, and

pleasing.

And when we

encounter God

and as we

pray to him,

we'll realize

we are free

people.

And we pray,

like with the

Ten Commandments,

we live out the

Ten Commandments

from a place of

salvation.

We pray the

Lord's Prayer

from a place of

complete liberation.

And this will

elicit praise.

It just will.

when Jill read

the Lord's Prayer

in verse 13,

it ends by

saying,

but deliver us

from evil.

When we pray it

at Church of the

Messiah,

it says,

for yours is the

kingdom, the

power, and the

glory forever and

ever.

And it's just not,

I mean, if you

have a Bible,

there might be a

footnote there

that will say

something like

that in the

earliest manuscripts,

that section is

omitted.

and it's true,

the earliest and

most reliable

manuscripts we

have of Matthew's

Gospel does not

include that.

It's added later.

But it's still

worthwhile to pray.

It's incredibly

biblical to pray,

for yours is the

kingdom, the power,

and the glory forever

and ever.

Absolutely, it's

biblical.

But it is also

important that we

do that because we

pray to God and

it then, if we

truly grasp what

we're praying, we

will praise him.

We will.

The Lord's Prayer

opens up with an

address about God.

It has seven

petitions.

But then if we

say for yours, it

ends with doxology,

a worship of God.

We can't be moved

by God, truly moved

by him, and then

not praise him.

He redeems

mankind for the

sake of love.

He's a promise

keeping God.

He genuinely

desires to bless

us for our

good, that he

blesses us with

his very presence.

We get taste of it

in this life, but

the promise is for

the life to come.

It means that

Jesus himself is

the ultimate

gift that we

pray for in the

Lord's Prayer.

Jesus has made

a way.

In fact, Jesus is

the very embodiment

of the Lord's Prayer.

Consider this, that

if we go through

kind of line by

line of the

Lord's Prayer, he's

the embodiment of

it.

He called God

Father.

He is the only

begotten Son.

We are the

adopted sons.

He calls God

Father.

He brought honor

to his name.

He ushered in the

kingdom.

He submitted to

the will of the

Father.

So he says, I only

do what I see my

Father doing.

He gave himself as

the very bread of

life.

The very bread of

life.

He won forgiveness

for us on the

cross.

He suffered

temptation, but did

not give in.

And what does he

do?

He delivers us from

evil.

He is the very

embodiment of the

Lord's Prayer.

And when we pray

it, we can pray it

with Jesus in mind.

And this brings

praise to our

hearts if it moves

us.

If it moves us.

We have this

saying that seems

to have developed in

our small group for

the church plant

where we say

theology, proper

theology leads to

proper doxology.

theology, when you

understand, truly

understand what God

has done for us in

Christ Jesus, then

our hearts will be

moved to praise him

properly, to praise

him with our whole

hearts, to learn how

to praise him.

It is deeply, deeply

connected.

I really don't want to

burden people.

just kind of in

closing, I really

don't want to burden

people with, hey, you

need to pray more or

else, you know, you're

no good.

I don't want that at

all.

Life is full of

anxieties and we've

had just a tremendously

difficult, like what,

what are we on, like

month 15 or 16?

I don't know, a lot, a

lot of time has gone

by in this, in this

pandemic with

restrictions.

I don't want to guilt

anybody into any of

that.

But if prayer truly is

turning our heart

toward God to listen

and to speak with him,

as our catechism says,

it would seem to me that

prayer provides an

opportunity to give our

problems and our

concerns and our, and

and our anxieties to

God, knowing that he

and only he can

alleviate all of the

pain, all of the, the,

the, the trouble, all

of the things that we

try to mask with, with

either substance or

busyness or

entertainment, whatever it

may be, that never

truly fixes things.

Only he can deal with

it.

We can enjoy his grace

and his love and his

kindness.

We bring our desires to

the Lord and ultimately

we pray our father and

we're praying, God, give

me yourself, teach me

your ways, help me to

deny myself, to deny my

entitlements, help me to

live a life that says

your will be done through

me, your kingdom come

through me, through our

church, through my

family.

You're not going to get

it right every time, but

by God's grace, he's

going to start

transforming your heart.

We'll learn to enjoy

God and we might go

through seasons of

dryness and if you're in

one right now, it's okay,

but still say pray.

Pray.

If it feels like you're

going through the

motions, it won't feel

like you're going for

through the motions for

very long.

I haven't given you guys

any kind of practical

tools, but just a few

things.

You want to pray if at

all possible with other

people, but for sure by

yourself.

And if you can, try to

pray as early as you can.

Try to make it the first

thing you do.

And if you have

children, it's difficult.

If you're working shift

work, that's hard to.

God's not like, listen, if

you don't pray between six

and six thirty, like don't

bother.

He doesn't say that.

But try to make it one of

the first things.

And start with two minutes

or three minutes.

Start with an aid.

I tried my best to pray

with the Book of Common

Prayer, the morning prayer

service.

I like books, like physical

books, as opposed to using

my smartphone, just because I

can get lost.

An hour can go by on

YouTube on my smartphone.

But you could use morning

prayer, and it helps us then

to structure our prayer life.

You can also use, and I

think Claire will throw it

up, the Daily Prayer app.

And it is an adaptation of

the prayer book, but in

contemporary language and

really beautiful backgrounds

if you're into that kind of

stuff.

And I think it's about ten

minutes long.

They throw some scripture in

there, they throw some

prayers in there, and it's

really good.

It's called the Daily Prayer

app.

There's also the Book of

Common Prayer app.

It's called Daily Prayer, and

it's from the Church of

England.

You can check that out.

It's not as pretty, but it's

like a full version of this

on your phone.

Or if you have another way of

praying, you can pray through

the Psalms, whatever it may

be.

Try your best.

By God's strength, ask him to

help you to pray.

And then pray.

Ask somebody to hold you

accountable to it and pray.

And see how the Lord will

transform your life.

One last thing before we

close.

God really, really, really

loves you.

And that's not a kitschy thing

to say.

If it seems kitschy, that's

okay.

He really, really loves you.

He really, really, like

desperately wants to connect

with you.

So much so that he sent his

son, Jesus Christ, fully man,

fully God, to make a way for

you to enjoy his presence.

Isaiah 65 verse 24 says this.

Isaiah 65:24

This is God speaking.

Before they call, I will answer.

While they're yet speaking, I will

hear.

He is, like your sins are paid

for.

He's not waiting to punish you.

He's desperate for you to come.

Now, I shouldn't say desperate

as if God is some man who has

needs.

But he wants to meet with you.

In 12 weeks, because this is

Trinity Sunday, the collect for the

12th Sunday after Trinity says

this.