Our Father in Heaven

“Praying Like Jesus” Series

• Focus: Jesus’ Prayer Life. The example he sets, what he teaches about it, and the specific things he prays about.

Today: “Our Father in Heaven.” The first half of the Lord’s Prayer.

• Main Idea: Jesus teaches us to begin our prayers by focusing on God and his Kingdom, not on ourselves.

How Not To Pray

“In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” -John Bunyan

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-8

• • Jesus is teaching his disciples and crowds of people in the Sermon on the Mount. 

Before teaching the disciples how to pray, he teaches them what not to do in prayer.

• Don’t be like the Pharisees (Matthew 6:5-6) and the Pagans (6:7-8).

The Pharisees prayed with the wrong audience in mind.

• They wanted to be seen by others, so they used their prayers as an opportunity to attract attention for themselves.
• God wasn’t the object of their heart’s desire; they were just using him to show off.

The Pagans thought they could reach God through fancy-sounding prayers.

• They thought the key to getting the answer they wanted was finding the perfect words.

What Jesus Teaches Us About Loving God and Loving Others

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15

Two Parts to the Lord’s Prayer:

• Matthew 6:9-10 — Focuses on God.
• Matthew 6:11-13 — Focuses on Us.

The focus on God first and then people second is similar to the Ten Commandments.

• Commandments #1-4 — Responsibilities toward God.
• Commandments #5-10 — Responsibilities towards each other.

The Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments both reflect the priorities of the Greatest Commandment.

• Love God (first), love people (second).

Does God Want us to Come to Him With Our Requests?

• Yes, absolutely! See Philippians 4:6; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 1 Peter 5:7; and Hebrews 4:16.
• It’s just that Jesus teaches us to make our requests to God in the context of an ongoing relationship with God.

Coming to God with our requests without ever investing in our relationship with him makes us guilty of the same things the Pharisees were: Using God for their benefit instead of cherishing him from their hearts.

Reflections on the First Half of the Lord’s Prayer

• Our Father in Heaven — God is our Father (approachable) who desires intimacy with his children. But he also reigns in Heaven, far above all earthly powers and authorities.
• Hallowed Be Your Name — May your name (God himself) be holy, sanctified, or set apart. This is about giving God the glory he deserves.
• Your Kingdom Come — We pray that God’s rule and reign would expand throughout the earth, that more and more people would submit to God and honor Christ as King.
• Your Will Be Done — We pray first and foremost for God’s plan and purposes to prevail in our world, even when it clashes with ours (e.g. “Not my will, but yours be done”).
• On Earth as it is in Heaven — We pray that our world would begin to reflect the goodness, justice, mercy, and peace that already exist in Heaven. 

Psalms of Praise

• The first part of the Lord’s Prayer focuses on praising God, because we need the foundation of praise to maintain the right perspective on God and prayer.
• Praise is a major theme in the book of Psalms. In fact, “Praises” (Hebrew, Tehillim) is the original Hebrew title for the Book of Psalms.
• Some Psalms are prayers to God that spend all of their time praising him without ever making a single request of him (e.g. Psalm 145).

What would it look like for us to make praise and gratitude the foundation of our prayers?

Application

Want to reorient your priorities in prayer? Try using the acronym TACOS:

• Thanksgiving, Adoration, Confession, Others, Self.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 145 — A Psalm of Praise

Study & Reflection

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” — Martin Luther

• In your own words, what was wrong with the way the Pharisees and Pagans were praying?
• Why is it important to begin our conversations with God with praise, submission, and humility instead of rushing into our wants and needs?
• Read Psalm 103:1-5. This is another Psalm of praise that doesn’t make any requests of God — it only offers words of praise. What are some of the things God has done in your life that make him worthy of praise?
• Another thing we can praise God for is who he is — his heart, character, and unchanging qualities. Read or skim the rest of Psalm 103. What character traits of God does David highlight as he praises him?
• David refers to God as our Father in Psalm 103:13, just like Jesus does in the Lord’s Prayer. What does it mean to you that God is our Father?
• Going back to Psalm 103:1, David directs his soul and innermost being to praise God. Do you feel like your times of prayer and worship flow from your heart? Or are there times when they feel more like empty words? 
• How can we learn to worship with greater sincerity and authenticity instead of going through the motions?
• Try This: Use the Lord’s Prayer (or the TACOS acronym) as your prayer guide this week. Follow along and pray about the big ideas they contain.
• Write Your Own Prayer: After hearing Psalm 145 and reading Psalm 103, try writing your own prayer of praise to God. Think back to your answers to questions 3 and 4 for inspiration on what to praise God for.