Prayer #3 (Matthew 6) - 2012.01.28

ON PRAYER (3)

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father…" — Matthew 6:9

The first words of the Lord’s Prayer imply to the thoughtful soul that we should enter the throne room with adoration. When I listen to prayers uttered in public, whether from pulpits or in prayer groups, or when I “listen” to my own prayers, I am struck by how seldom anything like real worship enters our prayer life. When we are invited to “come boldly” to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16), it is not to suggest that we come brazenly, thoughtlessly, irreverently. Far too often, I fear, our motivation for prayer is to ask for something we need or want, and not for fellowship. If that is all a child approaches his father for  it is a pretty poverty stricken relationship, when intended to be much more.

“Our Father…” It is quite striking, to me at least, that the Savior initiates His model prayer with these words. It is the form of address He commends to His disciples in response to their request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We must remember that this is the terminology the Savior Himself consistently used with reference to both His and our relationship with God, and is so used in Acts and in throughout the epistles.

“Our Father…”: it is a warm and benevolent term. It implies the obvious—that God is the Author and Sustainer of our lives. We are indebted to him for our existence and its maintenance; something we too often forget. It applies to all men: “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?… [Mal.2:10],” but it is appreciated only by believers.

The term and concept are rooted in the Old Testament as descriptive of the relationship between God and His  people, His children. The Spirit of God remarks, “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.” Singling out one of those people, David, representative of all those who are rightly related to Him, He declares, “He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation [Ps. 89:15-16, 26].”

As our Father, God assumes responsibility for our welfare. 

He makes provision for our needs. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus [Phil. 4:19]” and opens His hand to “[satisfy] the desire of every living thing [Ps.145:16].”

He has compassion for us when we are in distress. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him [Ps. 103:13].”

He superintends our development for our own good. “ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?…Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby [Heb. 12:6-7,11].”

This  relationship stands behind those passages of scripture that indicate how fathers are to relate to their children and how children are to relate to their fathers. Sadly, in our broken world fathers are, too often, not what they should be, and children do not see in their earthly fathers the model for their attitude toward God. 

“Honor thy Father… [Ex. 20:12].” The commandment requires that children recognize the father’s position of dignity and authority and relate to him with respect and subordination. The command is reiterated by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and thy mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. [Eph. 6:1-4].” Beneath this benevolent address,”Our Father,” I am convinced that the Savior is intending that we recognize when praying our position with reference to the One Whom we are addressing, and it should be our first consideration in petitioning the throne of grace.

As  children of God we are dependent upon Him for life, both in its origin and in its maintenance. We are subordinate to Him and He merits our profound respect. Given the haphazard way in which we all too often approach Him, it is little wonder that we hear Him declare, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? [Mal. 1:6].”

“Lord, teach us to pray!”

"Pastor" Frasier

Prayer #2 (Matthew 6) - 2012.01.21

ON PRAYER (2)

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 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

Some time ago I was invited to conduct Sunday morning services for a small group of senior citizens in an assisted living facility. One request made by those in attendance was that the recitation of ‘the Lord’s prayer’ be included in each service.

Now I am not much given to ritual, but it seemed a relatively harmless request, and I have complied. In fact, the matter prompted a study of the prayer on my part and subsequent sharing with the little group, early on, some of the fruits of that meditation. It is, in fact, quite instructive and  will provide the foundation of our consideration here over the next several weeks, Lord willing and enabling.

Upon reflection, ritual is very much a part of our lives, even those of us who are inclined to disavow it. Much of our habit of “Sunday worship” is, or threatens to be ritualistic. It is not the ritual that is the issue, but what the heart does with it that matters most. Too often, I fear, we go through the motions of “going to church” and sitting through the “ritual” of a prescribed “order of service,” checking our watches if the routine seems to take too long and leaving when it is “over,” often as empty of virtue as when we arrived. True worship can be missing from the routine. Similarly he recitation of a pattern prayer or a creed can be as empty as an inverted cup—but it does not have to be. 

Thoughtfully considered, the Lord’s Prayer is a remarkable piece. Recall, as we noted last week, that it was born out of the disciples’ request after hearing the Son of God pray, “Lord, teach us to pray.” To that lofty request by His awestruck disciples the Savior responded with this now almost too familiar, but astonishing prayer. I say astonishing because of its brevity and its content—what it includes and what it does not include when compared to other prayers in the bible and to our prayers in general as reflected in the “prayer request’ segment of our public prayer meetings.

As to its brevity, it is, in this longest rendering of it in the King James Bible, just sixty six words in length and can be  carefully uttered aloud in less than thirty seconds! As to its content, if the Lord wills we shall look at what is included in more detail over the coming weeks, but when set alongside our ordinary “prayer requests,” it is interesting to note some of what it omits. There is, for example, no mention of sickness or health. As for material necessities the only reference is to “our daily bread.” There is here no petition for the lost, nor any reference to ‘ministry’ or witnessing. And, there is very little focus on “us” and at least as much upon God. Granted, a study of all the prayers of the bible would give justification to many such requests and more in our prayers, both private and public, but the Lord Jesus did not include them in this response to the disciples’ plea, “Lord, teach us to pray.” It is quite amazing to note that the One through whom all true prayer must be directed (Cf. John 14:6, 13-14) responded to His disciples’ passionate request on so lofty a subject with such “profound simplicity.” 

Obviously, if this prayer is taken just on its face value, long and complex prayers are not essential to reaching the ear and heart of God. He is not impressed with rhetoric. You may recall Jesus’ indictment of the Pharisees, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation [Matt. 23:14].” And again, His introduction to this prayer, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking [Mt. 6:7 - all my italics].” 

In one of my churches there was a man who, due to a war injury, was a bit “different,” unusual and very direct. One morning as we met by chance on the post office steps, he bluntly said, “Good morning preach. Did you say your prayers this morning?” I replied, “Yes, Joe; did you say yours?” His quick response was, “Nope. I pray my prayers!” There was a lesson there I have never forgotten. Any prayer uttered just to be heard is only a ritual. But the heart cry that sincerely seeks the ear of the Father of Glory will not go unanswered.

“After this manner therefore pray ye.”

"Pastor" Frasier

Prayer #1 (Luke 11) - 2012.01.14

TEACH US TO PRAY

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." — Luke 11:1

Of all in this world that is available to man in general and believers in particular there is no resource greater nor more underutilized (or misused) than prayer. 

Prayer gives us access to the throne of the living God, audience with the King of Glory, and opens to us His infinite resources. Whatever their prior exercise in prayer may have been, when the disciples heard the Savior pray they immediately sensed a need in their own lives which prompted this earnest plea, “Lord, teach us to pray…” And it is worthy of note that it was their association with Him that gave rise to their sense of need to pray and to pray more effectively. We will never long to pray until we have spent time with Him, and we will never learn really to pray until we have consulted Him. 

Our objective over the next few weeks will be to considera the Savior’s remarkable response to the disciples’ impassioned plea, affording what is popularly referred to as “the Lord’s Prayer.” But for today we may reflect upon the subject of prayer in a more general way, observing some of the New Testament references indicative of the importance of meaningful prayer.

The Lord Jesus Himself underscored the priority of prayer when He “spake a parable unto [the Pharisees] to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint [Lk. 18:1].” The clear inference here is that we may be crushed beneath life’s heavy load if we do not avail ourselves of the resources to which prayer gives us access. Whether we need guidance or undergirding, it is from God that real help must come, and it is by prayer that we tap into His gracious resources. His emphasis is reiterated and amplified for the church in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, “Pray without ceasing [I Thess. 5:17].” Clearly there is prayer that is particular and addresses specific matters, but this verse suggests an aspect of prayer that might be called an “atmosphere” in which we are to live. Years ago I read an article that referred to prayer as “spiritual breathing.” The inference was that we may develop the exercise of prayer in a way that becomes autonomic, affording an unconscious and unbroken communion with God. It is quite different from the crises praying with which we are more familiar, and far more rewarding.

On another occasion Jesus exhorted His disciples, “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. [Mt. 26:41].” In a world where temptations abound, prayer is the believer’s first line of defense. Those who do not cultivate it leave themselves vulnerable. Effective praying can not only keep us from fainting, but it can also keep us from falling.

Later, in the epistles, the Holy Spirit instructs us, “Be careful [anxious] for nothing;l but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God,” and assures us, “and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [secure] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus [Phil 4:6-7].” The inference here is that in bringing specific matters before God we may, indeed, find “grace to help in time of need,” so that we can live a stress-free life in a stressful world. Most believers know the verse; how well do we apply it—in “everything!”

Nowhere are these truths more significantly emphasized than in the life of the Savior Himself. Though He was “God manifest in the flesh,” He made prayer a priority. “In the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place and there prayed [Mk. 1:35].” Prayer was more important than sleep. When multiplying loaves and fishes He acknowledged the Father’s power and goodness with prayers of thanksgiving [Cf. Mt. 15:36, Mk. 8:6, Mt. 14:19]. After the feeding of the five thousand at the close of the day “He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, He was there alone [Mt. 14:23].” Morning, before His busy day and evening at the close thereof, it would appear He engaged in prayer. 

The Savior prayed when healing the deaf and dumb man (Mk. 7:33); as a preface to the transfiguration (Lk. 9:29); when about to raise Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:41-43); He prayed for the sustenance of Peter’s faith (Lk. 22:32); and He agonized in prayer when anticipating the incomprehensible crisis of the crucifixion (Mt. 26:36-46), remonstrating His disciples for their failure to stand with Him in prayer in that crucial hour (v40, 41).

If the only begotten Son of God needed thus to incorporate prayer in His daily life, how crucial must it be for those of us who are children of God by adoption—and mere mortals at that? LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY!

"Pastor" Frasier

Romans 8 (pt 14) - 2012.01.07

The COMMANDMENTS (14)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” — Romans 8:3-4

One more meditation must be added before we close out this series. We need first to contemplate the only One who ever fully met the requirement of the Law of God. 

The Law is not discarded by the gospel, but it is fulfilled for us and in us in the person of our Savior, and faith in the Redeemer is the ground of our righteousness, not obedience to the regulations. As it is written, “For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth [Rom. 10:4].” Our hope rests not upon our works, but upon His finished work. Long before He came into the world Christ’s devotion to the Father and His will was revealed in Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” This is confirmed by the quotation of this text in Hebrews 10:7 and its specific application to the Savior. Following the incarnation His ministry confirms it. Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work [Jn. 4:34].” Every natural appetite was subordinated to the will of the Father. Again, on the very threshold of the crucifixion, in the garden of Gethsemane He said in the hearing of His disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me,” then “…he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt [Matt. 26:38-39].” Every natural instinct—in this case self-preservation—was sacrificed to the will of God. What a contrast between “the last Adam” and the first—and us!

And it is important to our study to note the relationship that prompted this dedication. It was a love relationship. “The father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand [Jn. 3:35b].” “…The Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth… [Jn. 5:20a].” In wonderful contrast to the first Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ responded to the Father’s love—even when it required His death—with loving obedience.

That obedient love is the foundation of all our hope of eternal life, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us… [Titus 3:5].” We are redeemed and restored as a result, and called to love Him who first loved us, and on that ground to “keep His commandments,” not in order to be saved, but as an expression of appreciation for “so great salvation.” He said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it [Matt. 10:37].” In other words, nothing and no one should compete with our love for Christ and God. That will eventuate in our walking “not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” and so to fulfill the will of God. It was here that the ‘rich young ruler’ faltered.

We are saved by faith. Obedience does not save us, but demonstrates that we are saved and love Him who died for us and rose again. In the church today there is a great tendency to disconnect faith and love, but that will not stand the test of scripture. Love is the fulfilling of the Law (Rom. 13:10b) and “faith works by love.” “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision (i.e. religious exercise); but faith which worketh by love [Gal 5:5-6].” Love is the dynamic of faith, and faith is the ground of our hope. “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love [I Cor. 13:13]

“If you love Me, keep My commandments”  —John 14:15

Not because we have to, but because we “delight” to!

"Pastor" Frasier