Our Father
Sermon Notes
[Luke 11:1] Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
Prayer is not an OBLIGATION, it is a PRIVILEGE.
[Matthew 6:5-8] "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. [6] But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. [7] "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. [8] Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Prayer is not a MECHANISM to get the things that we want.
[Matthew 6:9] Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Followers of Jesus are not meant to live in ISOLATION.
[John 8:42-44] Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. [43] Why can't you understand what I am saying? It's because you can't even hear me! [44] For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
God is a good FATHER and He loves you.
God's name is HOLY and He is worthy of our PRAISE.
[Psalm 100:4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Praise puts God at the CENTER of our prayer rather than ourself.
[Hebrews 13:15] Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name.
You can't praise God when there is PRIDE in your HEART.
Real relationships always require CONVERSATION.
[Hebrews 4:16] So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.