Catechetical sermons preached in PCC Evening Worship Services, Feb 2013 to Dec 2017
WSC 100 of 107
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
Matthew 6:9-13
WSC 100. What doth the Preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
A. The preface of the Lord’s Prayer—(which is, Our Father which art in heaven1)—teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us;2—and that we should pray with and for others.3
1Mt 6:9; 2Rom 8:15; Lk 11:13; 3Acts12:5; 1 Tim 2:1–2.
We have begun a study on what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer. It is known as the Lord’s Prayer not only because it is the most famous prayer in the Bible, but also because our Lord taught it to His disciples. For this reason, some prefer to call it the Disciple’s Prayer. They say that the Lord’s Prayer is really His prayer, as recorded in John 17.
In any case, the name is not essential. What is important is the content of the prayer and how it is used. In the previous study, we saw how the Lord introduced this pattern of prayer in the Sermon on the Mount by reminding us of three things:
First, prayer must not be for show. We must pray to please God, not to please man. Therefore, we must spend more time in private than in public prayer.
Secondly, prayer must not be mechanical and repetitious. Prayer is an outpouring of our heart unto God. We must never repeat the Lord’s Prayer or any other prayers in the mindless way that idolaters do.
Thirdly, prayer need not be extended. We must not be afraid to pray concise prayers. Those who pray exceedingly long in public weary others praying with them.
It is after this introduction that the Lord gives the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer. He begins:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name
v. 9
Our Lord’s Prayer comprises a preface, six petitions and a conclusion. In this first study, with the Lord helping us, we shall consider the preface: “Our Father which art in heaven.”
Many of us begin our prayers with similar words. Therefore, we tend to take these introductory words in the Lord’s Prayer for granted. We think very little about them. But our Lord’s words are carefully chosen; we can learn much from them.
Consider first the word ‘our’.
1. Our
Notice that our Lord does not teach us to say ‘My Father’ but ‘Our Father.’ The phrase ‘my Father’ in reference to God occurs fifty-six times in the New Testament. Each time, it is used by Christ our Lord.
I don’t think it is wrong to say, “My Father” in our private prayers—since the Lord himself says: “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister” (Mt 12:50).
Why, then, does He teach us to address God as “Our Father”? Undoubtedly, He is teaching us that prayer is not only an individual exercise. Prayer is a privilege of every member of the church of Christ.
Therefore, when we pray—whether in private or public—we must remember that we are part of a vast family of God. So our Shorter Catechism teaches us that by these words, “Our Father,” we must learn “that we should pray with and for others.” That is, with and for others in the church of Christ.
Therefore, we must pray not only for ourselves, but for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Therefore, we must pray with other believers. We must do so in our closets. We may be alone with the Lord, but we must join the church to pray on the issues that concern the church. This is why we have a prayer bulletin. This is why we urge the church to pray for specific individuals in the communion. Though we pray at different times, if we pray for the same things, we are praying with the church. And we can be sure, that God is pleased to receive the same petition from different persons on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
But we must not only pray with other believers in private. We must gather together to pray together. If you read the accounts of the early church in Acts, you cannot escape noticing the numerous occasions when the disciples gathered to pray.
Pentecost happened when the people were gathered in an upper room, no doubt to pray (Acts 2:1ff). When Herod Agrippa I began to persecute the church, he killed James and threw Peter into prison (Acts 12:1ff). What did the church do? They prayed, no doubt, gathering often to do so. Luke informs us that “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God” for Peter while he was in prison (Act 12:5).
God heard their prayers and delivered Peter through the intervention of angels. The chains fell off, and the doors opened of their own accord. Peter was free. Where did he go? He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John. Many people were gathered there. What were they doing? They were praying (Acts 12:12)!
When Lydia was converted under the ministry of Paul, what was she doing? She was attending a Sabbath-day prayer meeting by the riverside where prayer was wont to be made (Acts 16:13)!
What were Paul and Silas doing when they met the girl with the spirit of divination? They were on their way to a prayer meeting (Acts 16:18)!
No Christian should be a lone ranger. He must assemble with the saints. He must pray with the saints. Yes, when we gather together, not everyone can pray aloud. But we must pray together. Paul says, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Tim 2:8). Women are not called to lead in prayer publicly. So, men ought to be appointed to pray. When a man does so, he must pray as a representative of those gathered. He does not say, “My Father,” but “Our Father.” He does not say, “I pray,” but “We pray.”
But what about the rest of the congregation, whether male or female, young or old? They must pray with him. They must not allow their minds to wander. They may agree with what is said in their heart or even utter “yes” or “Amen.” And they may elaborate on some petitions in their hearts. They should never drift off into their private prayers or, worse, into slumberland.
The Scripture teaches us this truth by pointing out that it was a practice of the early church to say a loud “Amen” (1 Cor 14:16) after each prayer offered by a representative. Let us learn to say ‘Amen’ after every public prayer.
This is a significant application of the word ‘our’ in the Lord’s Prayer. We must pray for and with one another as the sons and daughters of God and the siblings of Christ in whose name we gather.
What about the word ‘Father’?
2. Father
The word ‘Father’ immediately teaches us what attitude we should approach God with. We should approach him as children approach their loving fathers.
So our catechism speaks of the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teaching us “to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us.”
There are disagreements between theologians as to whether our Lord is teaching us to direct our prayers to the first person of the Godhead or to draw near to God-Triuine as a father.
I believe it is not essential for us to settle the question. The Scripture does teach us that Christ and the Spirit seek to honour the Father. And it teaches us to pray unto God as our Father, in the name of Christ and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should be speaking to the first person of the Trinity as our Lord did in His prayer. But, since the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are equal in power and glory, it is quite immaterial whether we think of God-Triune or God the Father when we address God as ‘Our Father.’ What is important is that we must draw to God with holy reverence and confidence as children unto their fathers.
What a great privilege! We who were children of wrath have been made the sons and daughters of God!
We now have a family. We have Christ as our elder brother and the church as our brothers and sisters in Christ. But most of all, we have a heavenly Father. We have been adopted into His family, and He has given us His Spirit of Adoption, by whom we cry unto him as our “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15).
God is our heavenly Father. Though God is infinitely holy, Christ, His eternally begotten Son, has torn down the veil of separation so we can enter into the Holy of Holies to commune with Him with all boldness.
As our Father, God is pleased to meet us to receive our prayers, and He is ready and able to help us.
How should we respond to this truth? Some of us have loving fathers whom we respect and enjoy talking to. Even then, they have flaws and weaknesses, and cannot always be there for us. But our heavenly Father is perfect; he is never too busy for us, and He will always understand us because His Spirit searches our hearts, and our elder brother is always interceding for us. Let us, therefore, delight to go to Him.
Some of us do not have earthly fathers to whom we can turn. Your father may have passed away. But your heavenly Father will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you always, and you will always have access to Him for all eternity. He will never disappoint you.
Or your father may be alive, but he is not a very warm or approachable person. You know he cares for you, but you never felt his love for one reason or another. God the Father is not like that. We know that He loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten son to die for us. And He sent His Spirit to warm our hearts so we may know His love. And He is pleased when we go to Him.
Or your earthly father may be harsh or unreasonable. You find it hard to respect him, not to mention to love him or to go to him to seek his help and counsel. Remember that the heavenly Father is nothing like that. Do not confuse your heavenly Father with your earthly father. Our heavenly Father loves with a perfect love. As He is well-pleased with His only begotten Son, He is well-pleased with all who come to Him in His Son’s name. Indeed, He has deemed it fit to receive us as His holy sons and daughters despite our sins because the righteousness of His Son covers us.
Shall we not come to Him with gratitude and love whenever we come into His presence in prayer?
Prayer is not a liturgy. It is our fellowship with our heavenly Father. Therefore, when you come to pray, remember not to babble some words mindlessly. But speak your heart. Speak unto your heavenly Father who loves you and is pleased to commune with you at His throne.
But finally, let us consider how our Father is heavenly.
3. Which Art in Heaven
God is not just a father unto us. He is our heavenly Father. Therefore, while we may boldly draw near unto Him as a child unto his father, we must never pray with a kind of familiar irreverence.
Modern society sees more and more children treating their fathers as equals, speaking to them without respect and showing them no honour before the world. And sadly, this has entered even into Christianity.
Remember how not many years ago, a large group of churches in Singapore paid an advertising company to produce advertisements to reposition God as “an affable and wise-cracking bloke whom you wouldn’t mind putting on a guest list for a dinner party.”
Oh, what utter blasphemy to speak of God in these terms. God is our Father in heaven. He is infinitely and transcendently holy and sovereign.
The fact that He has adopted us as His children and given us free access to His throne is no license to us to treat Him like a next-door bloke. It is no license for us to approach Him with crass irreverence.
A fellow minister once told me of his experience while attending a class in a respectable Reformed Seminary. The class had just begun or ended, I don’t remember, but a student was asked to pray. With chewing gums in his mouth and feet on the desk in front, this young man simply spread his arms and closed his eyes to pray without changing his posture. Oh, what disrespectful and blasphemous actions!
I don’t know this man. But I know that if he did not repent, it would be very doubtful that he was a true believer. How could he become a minister?
No, no; the true child of God will know God as Abba, Father, and his heart will be filled with a loving and holy fear of God that will not allow him to approach God disrespectfully.
He will approach God with love mingled with fear. He will approach Him not with a careless attitude, but as a child, full of respect for His heavenly Father.
This will be reflected in his posture and manner of speech. And it will also be reflected in the things that he prays for and how he prays.
Conclusion
Dearly beloved brethren, God is our heavenly Father. Let us remember to do three things with this fact as Question 100 of our Catechism teaches us to do:
The preface of the Lord’s Prayer—(which is, Our Father which art in heaven)—teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us;—and that we should pray with and for others.
Firstly, let us learn to pray with and for one another. Let us do so whenever we talk with one another about our struggles. Let us do so at prayer meetings. Let us do so when we visit one another or meet for meals and other activities during the week. If we love our heavenly Father and our elder brother, we will want them to share our joys with us; and the best way to do so is through prayer. So let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for prayer, and let us not forgo any opportunity to pray for one another. If you have not been doing so, may I urge you to begin.
Secondly, let us confidently draw near to God, for He is our loving heavenly Father. He is unlike earthly fathers who chastise us “after their own pleasure” (Heb 12:10), who are often unavailable, often letting us down, and often harsh and unloving. Our Father in Heaven is different. He is better than the best of the fathers in the world. He is perfect. And He has even given us His Spirit to indwell us, to mould us and encourage us so that more and more we can come to Him as our Abba Father to seek His comfort and help.
Thirdly, Let us “draw near to God with all holy reverence,” for we are creatures of dust, whereas He is God in heaven, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. Let us, therefore, recognise and remember that we could not come into His presence apart from the fact that the blood of Christ covers us and that we are in a covenant relationship with the Father.
What a great privilege it is to pray!
But as we conclude, we need to clarify one point: These things do not apply to all of us. The Lord’s prayer is not for everyone. In particular, if you do not know Christ as your Saviour and elder brother, you have no right to approach God as your heavenly Father. He would, instead, be your heavenly Judge. Therefore, if you are listening to this message and still do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, may I urge you to turn from your sin, and turn to Him. You have spat in the face of God by walking in sin without regard to His law. But He has not dealt with you as your sin deserves. He has given you time to see your wickedness, acknowledge your sin, repent of your iniquity, and seek His forgiveness. More than that, He sent His only begotten son to live and die for sinners like you so that anyone who believes in Him may enjoy His mercy and be received as His son or daughter.
Oh, why will you perish? Why will you despise the goodness of God? Turn today, turn from your sin, turn to Christ. Plead with Him to wash your sin away in His blood. Plead with Him that He may bring you to His Father so that you may be received as a child of God. Oh, why will you die? Why will you refuse to enjoy God’s Fatherly love and compassion? Amen.
—JJ Lim