Our Father

So I am finishing up my sermon for Sunday where I have been given the task to preach on the first phrase of the Lord's Prayer. "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." So here is a brief preview and some food for thought. Understand that Jesus is teaching His disciples HOW to pray not WHAT to pray. This is not a prescriptive prayer, but rather Jesus is sharing important things to think about when praying. So here is a few of those important things...

1. We come to God out of relationship. He is our Father! Many people have a hard time with that concept because of the imperfections of our fathers, but the reality is that God is a perfect father. He unconditionally loves us, cares for us, and treats us as His children. That's is an incredible thought. We also understand that prayer starts with relationship. We pray as a result of that relationship, not as a means to enter into that relationship. If we are His, he is our Father period! We don't have to seek Him out or gain His favor... He is here! We come to God out of relationship.

2. We come to God in Humility. The Greek word hagiazo is a verb translated as hallowed, meaning to purify of set apart. Jesus' address could literally say... "Our Father in heaven, Your name alone sets You apart." He is not like us... He is Holy! He is greater than anything you can think of! He is God, so when we come to Him we need to embrace the awesomeness of God and humble ourselves. Isn't it a great thought that a great and powerful God has made Himself intimate with His people as Father.

This is whom we speak to! He is the Holy yet Intimate One! I like that!

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