Our Father in Heaven (Matthew 6:9)
This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 16 April 2023. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.
What is the greatest need of the church today? What should Christians be focusing on right now above all else? That is the question the leading evangelical scholar and pastor, D A Carson, considered in his influential book entitled, “A Call to Spiritual Reformation”. In the introduction, he tries to put his finger on what the church needs most today. And what he concludes may surprise you. For he says our greatest need is not holding to biblical teaching on sexuality, nor is it showing compassion to our communities, nor is it even evangelism or church planting, nor is it growing in biblical knowledge and thinking. Though all these things are important, indeed vital for Christians today, he argues there is a need that is even more urgent, something that is so foundational, that if we concentrated on it, got it right, we would address all those other concerns as well. What is it? Well, Carson writes, “The one thing we most urgently need [is that we] need to know God better [and] one of the foundational steps in knowing God, and one of the basic demonstrations that we do know God, is prayer – spiritual, persistent, biblically minded prayer. 150 years ago, Robert Murray M’Cheyne said, ‘What a man is alone on his knees before God, that he is and no more.’ But we have ignored this [truth]. We have learned to organize, build institutions, publish books... develop evangelistic [courses] and [do] discipleship, but [Christians] have forgotten how to pray.”
That is what Carson concludes our greatest need today, to know God better through prayer. And brothers and sisters, if that really is the case, which I think it is, then surely each of us must ask ourselves if we are contributing to this problem, whether this great need of the Church in general is also our greatest need as individuals as well. Christian, have you forgotten how to pray? Has the busyness of life squeezed out the time you used to spend in prayer? Or have recent difficulties sucked all the joy out of your times with the Lord? Is your prayer life rusty this evening? Does it need to be refreshed? Do you need to be reenergised to grow in knowing God through prayer?
Maybe this evening you are a young Christian, and it is less you have forgotten how to pray, and more you have never learnt how to pray. You have often heard older more mature Christians say wonderful things about prayer, but don’t quite know how to get started. You have heard prayer is the solution for all our problems, the one thing we should do in any and every situation. That prayer is the air Christians should breathe, how our hearts can climb up to God’s heart. You’ve heard such things and are hungry to know how you too can enjoy a prayer life like that.
Well whatever camp you fall into tonight, whether you have forgotten how to pray or never learnt how to pray, can I urge you to pay special attention to our Sunday evenings messages these next seven weeks as we spend time considering the Lord’s Prayer together from Matthew 6. Around this time last year, we worked through this sermon of Jesus in Matthew 5-7, which is often known as the Sermon on the Mount. It is the longest and most famous sermon Jesus preached. And right at the centre of the sermon, in the exact middle, we find what has come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer. In 6:9-13 we read: [READ]. The Sermon on the Mount is a wonderful overview of how Jesus calls his followers to live in this world. And right at the centre of the sermon, we find these words on prayer. Jesus literally puts prayer at the very heart of the Christian life. However, these words are not only part of the Sermon on the Mount, but it seems Jesus repeated them on several occasions. For when the disciples come and ask Jesus to teach them how to pray in Luke 11, Jesus turns to the very same words. When the Lord was asked what someone needs to know in order to pray, these are the words that he turned to time and time again. And so, over the coming weeks, we are going to slow down to consider these words phrase by phrase, line by line together.
If you cast your eyes over this Lord’s Prayer, you quickly see it is made up of seven lines, seven parts. It begins with one address: “Our Father in heaven”. And then there are six requests: [READ]. It has historically been noted those six requests break into two groups. The first three requests relate to God, reminding us that it is God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will that should literally be at the top of our prayer list. Our first and foremost priority in prayer must be God. However, the next three requests all relate to ourselves, teaching us that we can pray about anything and everything we face, for those last requests cover the past, present and future. We are to pray for: (1) Provision for present needs; (2) Pardon for past sins; and (3) Protection from future temptation. One address, six requests, three about God, three about ourselves. The Lord’s Prayer is both beautiful and balanced, simple yet profound. Perhaps that’s why Martin Luther said, “I can never get enough of it. To me it is the best of all prayers.”
Each week we are going to consider a single line of this prayer. And as we do this, we shall see that Jesus not only provides a prayer for us to repeat word for word, but a pattern for us to follow line by line. We can of course say this prayer word for word, just as it is written here. And yet, for centuries Christians have seen that Jesus is not merely teaching us what to pray, but Jesus is teaching us how to pray. How to order our prayers. What priorities to focus on. What kind of things to ask for. And so can I encourage you to use this series to reassess and refresh your prayer life. Why don’t you conduct a kind of prayer audit each week, consider each emphasis as we go through and think about how you can better reflect it in your own times of prayer. Whether you’ve forgotten how to pray, or have never learnt how to pray, let Jesus (re)teach you how to pray in these weeks through these words.
This evening, we begin by looking at the first line, the opening address in 6:9: “Our Father in heaven...”. We will consider two simple points from this tonight: (1) You have a father to pray to; (2) We have a family to pray with.
1. YOU HAVE A FATHER TO PRAY TO
That is what the first line says, and indeed how the whole prayer begins. It states that there is a “Father in heaven”. And it is here that we see what is so similar, and yet so distinctive about Christian prayer. For you see, being heard by heaven, talking to the divine, reaching out to the spiritual realm, can be found in almost all religions. Praying to heaven is not distinctively Christian. However, what is different about Christian prayer, is the identity of the one in heaven whom we are praying to. For in Christianity, we are not just praying to a god in heaven, as in other religions, no Christians pray to a Father in heaven. Prayer in other religions is a bit like picking up your phone to call a customer services department. You know they don’t really want to hear from you, aren’t that interested in your life, would prefer not to fix your problem. Whereas in Christianity, prayer is like picking up your phone and calling home. You know that they’ll pick up the phone no matter what’s happening, that they want to hear about your life, and help you in whatever what they can. The first lesson we must learn about prayer, is that we don’t just pray to a god in heaven. We pray to a father in Heaven. And that fact makes all the difference in the world.
This emphasis of God being a father shouldn’t really surprise us. For in the Bible, we see that fatherhood is at the very heart of God. Being a father is one of the most basic things we know about God. It is the first relationship we find within the Godhead, the logical starting point of the eternal trinity. Back before the beginning of creation, in eternity past, we find that there was the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The first person of the Godhead has always been a father. And so when time began, and the Creator began to interact with his creation, the Bible tells us that he did so as a father. In Job 1, we are told that the angelic hosts are sons of God. In Genesis 5, Adam is known as a son of God. In Exodus 4, Israel is called God’s firstborn son. In 2 Samuel 7, with respect to David’s heir and the coming Messiah, God promises, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” Though God is a king, he has always wanted more than subjects. Though God is a master, he has always sought for more than servants. For at his very heart, God is a father, and as a father he wants us to be his children. And we see in 6:9, that this should be the starting point for every one of our prayers. While these words have come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer, they could be called the Child’s Prayer. For they begin by addressing “Our Father in heaven”. And by this, Jesus is teaching that the fatherhood of God is the foundation for all our prayers. There are so many things we could say about this, but tonight I want to briefly mention just three implications of this wonderful truth.
First, the fatherhood of God is the very essence of prayer. What is the most basic prayer that a Christian can ever pray? Well in Galatians 4:6, Paul says that when we became Christians, “God sent the Spirit...into our hearts...who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” The first and most basic prayer a Christian can pray is simply to say, “Daddy, Father”. Calling out to our father, is the very essence, the core of prayer. We see that in Galatians 4:6, but we see it in our own children too. Our son Caleb is only four months old, and so we haven’t had the joy yet of hearing him say his first words. There are a lot of noises, sweet sounds, funny gurgles, but there are no real words yet. However, you can be pretty sure that when he does say his first word, as with most children, it will likely either be “mama” or “dada”. The first thing he will do when he learns how to speak is call for his mother or father. And he will use that word no matter what he needs. If he wants lifted, he won’t say [...] If he wants fed, he won’t say [...] If he doesn’t know what he wants, he will still just cry “mama” or “dada”. For those words are enough to sum up all the needs of his little heart. All the wants and desires of his soul can be expressed in simply exclaiming “dada”. And the same is true for Christians, just praying, “Father” is enough to express the deepest desires of your soul, for it acknowledges your dependence on him and place all your needs in his wise hands. Every prayer you have ever prayed can be distilled, reduced down, summed up in that single word: “Father”. And so, if you ever find [...]
Second, the fatherhood of God is the ultimate reason for prayer. We have thought about babies, but it can be helpful to think about children when they grow up as well. For when a 7-year old daughter walks up to their father and starts their sentence with “Daddy...”. [...] You instantly know what they are doing. They are relying on that relationship to ask for something. Use their father’s love as leverage. And in many ways, Jesus says we should do the same. The first word out of our mouth should be “Daddy”. We should go to God like that child goes to their father, looking to his love, relying on that relationship as the reason for making our request. Because God is our father we can make these six requests [...]
Thirdly, the fatherhood of God sets the parameters for prayer. You see, calling God our Father reminds us that we won’t always get what we want. Just as with that 7-year old, our heavenly Father overrides many of our requests, gives us the birthday present we need rather than the unicorn we ask for. And by beginning the prayer with these words, “Our Father in heaven”, Jesus is teaching us that this is the case. The rest of this prayer will makes six requests, and of course in our prayers we can ask for all kinds of things. And yet, by starting with God as our “Father”, we are acknowledge that whatever we go on to ask for, God is the one who knows what is best. For by calling God a father, you are accepting that you are just a child, who may not know what is best, may not see what he sees, [...].
Of course, in this fallen world, we must recognise this idea of fatherhood has sometimes been spoiled by sin. Perhaps that is the case for you tonight. When you hear you have a father in heaven, you can’t help but think about the failure of your father on earth. If so, then I or a Christian friend would love to talk to you afterwards about how you can think about God as your father. And yet for now, can I simply say if you’ve been ignored, abused or abandoned by an earthly father, then you need to know your heavenly father is nothing like that. Indeed, he is the very opposite kind of father, for the Bible tells us he will always hear you, he will never harm you, and he will be with you forever.
God is the perfect father, so much so that even the best earthly fathers are but dim echoes of him. For we all make mistakes, and eventually instead of us caring for our children, they start caring for us. Maybe that’s happened to you recently. Your children are now driving you places. Or you are now caring for your father. And yet, that will never be true of your heavenly father. He will forever be the one who cares for you. You will never have to put him in a nursing home or sort out his affairs. We will always be the child, and he will always be our father. Indeed, we will always have a heavenly father to pray to. As many of you know, our time with earthly fathers eventually comes to an end. There comes a day when you can no longer talk to them on the phone or visit them at home, for they pass away and no matter how much we miss them or long to speak with them, we can no longer do so. And yet again, see that this will never be true of our heavenly father. He will be our father forever. When we call, he will always hear, always come to our aid, always want to fix our mess. You will always have a father to pray to.
2. WE HAVE A FAMILY TO PRAY WITH
It’s important for us to see that this prayer doesn’t begin “my father in heaven”, but “our father in heaven.” Did you notice that? It is a prayer that is designed for a group to pray, rather than just an individual. And this continues the whole way through, for we are told to pray in 6:11-13: [READ]. The pronouns are in the plural the whole way through. And so, while we have said that this Lord’s Prayer should really be called the Child’s Prayer, we see it could also be called the Children’s Prayer, or the Church’s Prayer. For this prayer is actually designed for public, rather than for private. Now of course, private prayer is vitally important. Indeed, earlier in 6:6, Jesus tells us to go into our own rooms and to pray secretly away from others. And yet, we see here in 6:9 that prayer should also done with openly with others. That we not only have a father to pray to, but we also have a family to pray with.
I want to stress that last part, for it could be easy to slip into just thinking that we have a family to pray for. You see, you can read these requests in 6:11-13 and rightly conclude that we should be praying for provision, pardon and protection for others. That is what we see in those verses and we should certainly reflect that in our prayer lives. Perhaps as part of your prayer audit, you might consider how much time you actually spend praying for others. Do you have any system or strategy to try to ensure that you spend time focusing on the needs of others, rather than just yourself? Here at Grace Church, provides our members with a prayer diary for that very reason, we ask our church to pray for a handful of members each day. Perhaps in the busyness of life you’ve slipped out of the habit of doing that, or you’ve never used it like that. If so, why don’t you give it a go this week. That would be a great thing to do. [...] And yet, we must see the emphasis here is not merely praying for others, it is praying with others. In 6:9 it is “ourFather”. In 6:11 it is “Give us today our daily bread.” Not “Give Jonny today his daily bread”. It is clear Jesus expects his disciples not merely to pray these things for each other, but to pray them with each other.
When we turn to the New Testament, we see this emphasis on public prayer so clearly. If you read the book of Acts, two main things will stand out to you about the life of the early church. First, you will notice God’s Word is continually proclaimed. And second, that God’s People are constantly praying. The Gospel was being preached on street corners, and the church were gathering in homes and rooms across Jerusalem to pray with each other. And as a church today we want to make sure that both of these emphasises are also seen in our life together. Here at Grace Church we are very clear that we are a Bible-believing Bible-preaching church. When people apply for membership with us, that is often what they say attracted them. And yet, as wonderful as that emphasis is, we should also make sure that we are a prayer-fuelled church. A family of God’s people who regularly, continually, gather to pray together.
I have personally been so encouraged to see how this already happens among us. It is wonderful to be able to come together for prayer meetings on Thursday nights and pray for almost an hour straight, one member after another. Or to get together in our Fellowship Groups and pray in smaller groups for more personal needs. When we gather on Sunday, prayer is a key part of both services, morning and evening we have multiple prayers: prayers of praise, thanksgiving, confession and petition. As a church, we spend much time praying with each other, and in the months and years to come, we should continue to do this.
Young Christian, if you want to learn how to pray, the best way to do that is by coming to our public gatherings, and listening carefully to what is prayed and how we pray.
However, we should also seek for prayer to filter down through all the relationships in our family, not only to fill our formal times together, but also spill out into our informal times together as well. Prayer should be a key part, should permeate, all our relationships. Couples – are you regularly praying together as brothers and sisters in the Lord? Before you head out in the morning, or go to bed tonight, do you come together before God in prayer? Fellow members – when you get together for a catch up over coffee, do you also spend time praying with each other? Or if you go round to each others homes, do you stop for a few minutes to pray for the things you’ve talked about? Prayer should permeate all our family relationships – it should be normal for us as members together at Grace Church to bow our heads in prayer together. Whether in a coffee shop, home, or at the back of room after a service.
And as we do that, we will find we’ll not only grow in our knowledge of God through prayer, but also our knowledge of each other in this family. In this season of change and transition as a church, as many new members continue to join month after month, one of the key ways we can build relationships and grow in intimacy with each other is to pray with one another. To get to know one another burdens, and to bring them together to the Lord in prayer. Whether it is in prayer meetings, in Fellowship Groups, or in more informal 1-2-1 interactions.
Brothers and sisters, we not only have a father to pray to, we also have a family to pray with. So let’s do that together.
If you are here tonight and you are not a Christian, then as we close we need to make clear that those two things we have considered. You have a father to pray to, and a family to pray with, aren’t actually true for you. You see the Bible teaches that as someone who has rebelled against God’s good rule, as someone who has sinned, you are not part of his family. You are not his child, but rather you are his enemy. And so when the troubles and trials of life come, the Bible is clear that you have no one to pray to. That Heaven does not have to hear or help you. Instead of having a Father in Heaven, we are born as orphans in this world.
And yet, the good news of the Gospel is that God’s family is open to all who repent of their sin and turn to him. For the Bible tells us that this loving Father in Heaven sent his divine Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and take the punishment we deserve, so that instead of being orphans in this world, if we turn from our sin and trust in Jesus, we can be adopted into God’s family. The Father struck the Son, poured out all his judgement on Jesus, in order to be able to make you a child of God.
The only reason we have a father to pray to, a family to pray with, is because on the cross Jesus made a way for the orphans of earth to become the children of heaven. And you tonight.
