Trinity Sunday

SERMON

Text: Matthew 6:9b

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven.

In Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord in whose name we may confidently and boldly pray, OUR FATHER, Fellow Redeemed:

On this day which historically has been designated as Trinity Sunday I have been given the privilege to begin a series of services which will center upon that perfect prayer which our Lord has taught His disciples to pray. We have called it the Lord’s Prayer.

It was on the Mountain, WHEN HE WAS SEATED HIS DISCIPLES CAME TO HIM. THEN HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND TAUGHT THEM. And in the midst of drinking in all the instructive, edifying and memorable words and illustrations of the Lord the disciples made a request, LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.

And so, as we gather together this morning to begin our meditations on this special prayer of our Savior we would do well solemnly to make the same request as did the disciples. And the Lord will hear our prayer and He will teach us thusly: IN THIS MANNER THEREFORE PRAY: OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.

Isn’t it marvelous that our Lord here teaches us to call the God of the universe, the Creator of all, the One who has all power in heaven and earth, OUR FATHER? Who would have dared, sinful wretches that we are, were it not that the very Son of the living God teaches us so to do?

You know, the Jews were so fearful that someone might misuse the name for God that they simply omitted the vowels from the name for God wherever it was written. And so to this day we are not certain how the name of the one true God as it is written in Hebrew is to be pronounced. But here the Lord, so to speak, opens the door wide for us to come boldly unto the throne of grace and speak to the Lord God of all things in this close and endearing way: OUR FATHER.

It was, of course, as normal and natural for Jesus to address God as FATHER or MY FATHER or ABBA FATHER as it is for children today to address their earthly father lovingly, affectionately, respectfully as “Dad.” That perfect relationship between the Father and the Son is so beautifully illustrated again and again when, for example, the Father lovingly speaks from heaven and says, THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. The Son spoke to His Father in heaven throughout His earthly life and concluded His earthly life with the words, FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT. And now He grants to His disciples, His followers, His believers the same privilege.

Unfortunately, there is often much confusion about this simple matter of prayer. There are those who would open the door wide open by the question, “Well, anyone can pray, can’t they?” Well, as surprised as some may be the answer is, “No! Not anyone can pray. Not anyone can pray Our Father.” Dare we say it? We must because it is true. Only a special chosen few may pray. Doesn’t that sound bigoted, narrow-minded and intolerable?

Well then, I suppose it may well be asked, if such is the case who are those few who have been set apart from everyone else in the world? The answer to that is easy. They are they who have been called out of the darkness of sin and unbelief into the marvelous light of the Gospel, the Good News of God’s forgiving love.

Well now, why is it that only they have the privilege of prayer? Once again, the answer is very simple. None of us have the right to pray OUR FATHER by nature. We are all dead in trespasses and sins and are separated from God by unbelief and thus may not approach the throne of God. It is often because people do not recognize our natural sinful state and our total spiritual separation from God by nature that they are confused about prayer.

God means it when He describes man’s deplorable state because of sin, He says, YOUR INIQUITIES HAVE SEPARATED YOU FROM GOD AND YOUR SINS HAVE HIDDEN HIS FACE FROM YOU SO THAT HE WILL NOT HEAR (Isaiah 59:2)

Of course, anyone can utter words. Anyone can even address some invented god of their choice with words. But that is not prayer. Prayer is communication with God. In other words true prayer will always be heard and always be answered. But if ones god is an invention of the mind of man obviously that prayer avails nothing. Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mt.Carmel as recorded in the 18th chapter of I Kings is adequate proof of that.

Our Savior makes the matter crystal clear when He proclaims, NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.(Jn. 14:6) In Him alone we have the forgiveness of all of our sins and now by faith in the Christ the Savior of the world we have become the children of God. YOU ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.(Gal. 3:26) Only they may pray. Only they may pray, OUR FATHER. And for them the guarantee of the Lord Jesus stands, WHATEVER YOU ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME HE WILL GIVE YOU. (John 16:23)

By these words our Savior not only teaches us that we should pray and that our Father in heaven will always hear and always answer but He teaches us how to pray. First of all, IN MY NAME says Jesus. As the Apostle Paul is inspired to explain, THERE IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS (I Tim. 2:5)

Indeed, my friends, it is not simply a matter of tacking the name of Jesus on the end of our prayer. As a matter of fact the name of Jesus may not always be verbalized. But you see, God’s people, in their heart and mind, are totally aware that we have the privilege to come before the throne of God in prayer only because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

Thus, in the name of Jesus refers to everything that Jesus Christ has done and continues to do as our Savior, our Prophet, our Priest, our King. His living for us, perfectly fulfilling the law of God for us—His perfect blood atonement for all of our sins—His resurrection and ascension. His perfect work of redemption now stands before the throne of God speaking for us ceaselessly.

In Him and Him alone, we who are lost sinners by nature are able to come before the throne of God’s divine majesty, power and grace bringing our petitions and praises knowing that they will always be accepted, heard and answered for the sake of Jesus Christ. Isn’t that a wonderful and blessed privilege? Isn’t that a marvelous relationship with OUR FATHER? A relationship purely of the heart and soul. As the hymn writer teaches us to sing:

At times our prayers may be beyond intelligible words. Perhaps our greatest needs and petitions and praise are beyond the power of expression. It may be that our sorrow is so great that only tears can be shed. Perhaps our pain is so intense that only our eyes are turned heavenward. Perhaps our sins weigh down upon our souls so heavily that we can only bow our heads in humble heartfelt repentence. But those petitions of our heart are very real and go before the throne of grace unworded. And our heavenly Father knows and understands and answers perfectly for our good and according to His good and gracious will. He will hear and answer those longings of our heart. Once again we are taught by the hymn writer:

In fact we are assured by our loving and gracious God, THE SPIRIT…HELPS IN OUR WEAKNESSES. FOR WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD PRAY FOR AS WE OUGHT, BUT THE SPIRIT HIMSELF MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US WITH GROANINGS WHICH CANNOT BE UTTERED. NOW HE WHO SEARCHES THE HEARTS KNOWS WHAT THE MIND OF THE SPIRIT IS, BECAUSE HE MAKES INTERCESSION FOR THE SAINTS ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD (Rm. 8:26-27)

What a blessing, my friends. What a wonderful, unique communication system God has established with His people in Christ. But into this very special and close arrangement which God has established between Him and His people unbelieving man storms with his own ideas and thoughts confusing many people.

He begins with the false premise thinking that anyone can pray. He continues with the blasphemous assertion that one prayer is as good as the next as long as one is sincere. “For after all,” it is said “as long as one prays to something called god what is the difference for all gods are essentially the same—they just have different names.” Wrong! ALL THE GODS OF THE PEOPLES ARE IDOLS, says the Lord. (Ps. 96:5)

Indeed, man in his spiritual ignorance speaks of a fatherhood of God and a brotherhood of man. He here is trying to demonstrate that since we are all a product of God’s creative work we are all automatically part of the family of God. We therefore may all call Him Father. Once again, Wrong! Such reasoning is forgetting or refusing to recognize that we are not born children of God but children of the devil. That is why Jesus teaches, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. (Jn. 3:7) Only when we have been born again by the power of the Spirit do we become spiritually alive and as God’s children are privileged to pray, OUR FATHER.

But as a result of man’s ungodly absurdities on every hand there are such things as so called prayer among gatherings of those who claim to be Christians with the Jews, Moslems, Hindus, agnostics, atheists etc.

In accordance with the same theory we have public officials pushing and pushing to officially promote prayer in the public schools. As though this is part of the solution to the immoral and undisciplined attitude so often displayed today.

My friends, the bottom line is Christians pray. Because of the nature of prayer they pray when and where they choose. In fact, the Apostle Paul urges, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.(I Thess. 5:17) The Christian’s life is a life of prayer. Whether we are driving down the road or at work, whether we are having a party or on vacation, whether we are sitting in the class room or playing a game, whether we are privately meditating or worshipping in church or lying ill. We don’t need someone to give us the permission to pray. We already have that permission from our almighty and gracious God Himself. I presume that is authority enough.

To be sure, my friends in Christ, our Savior assures us, THE FATHER HIMSELF LOVES YOU, BECAUSE YOU HAVE LOVED ME, AND HAVE BELIEVED THAT I CAME FORTH FROM GOD.(Jn. 16:27)

Therefore, the Savior invites:

COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.(Mat. 11:28)

The Psalmist encourages:

CAST YOUR BURDEN ON THE LORD AND HE SHALL SUSTAIN YOU. (Ps. 55:22)

Indeed, the Lord God urges:

CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; I WILL DELIVER YOU AND YOU SHALL GLORIFY ME. (Ps. 50:15)

May our lives be lives of prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior through whom we may pray, OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. Amen

May our lives be lives of prayer. Living, working, playing, studying His Word, worshipping, serving, loving, forgiving, giving, praising—in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Amen

—Pastor L.D. Redlin