Today I continued in the teaching series about the Prayer of Jesus. As the worship experience was coming to a close I was moved by the many tears from people throughout the worship center. It was every evident to me that God was moving and lives were being changed. Amazing things happen when we choose to worship the Lord with others and are sensitive to His presence. I began my sermon with this simple introduction:
Jesus Christ is the progeny of the Creator, God of the Universe. He is the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus we completely Divine – God in the Flesh – who humbled himself obedient unto death – even death on a cross. Today as we participated in the sacrament of communion we acknowledged the time when the created killed the Creator. As we explore the Prayer of Jesus together let us remember that prayer is the privilege of communication between a child and THE FATHER. It’s not a human right. Not a non-negotiable demand. It is a privilege – a privilege made possible only by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
It is amazing that God allows us to address Him as Father. In the Bible we are told we can even call Him - Father or Papa! An powerful illustration I shared today states the following:
A few years ago, a German scholar, Joachim Jeremias, was doing research in New Testament literature and discovered that in the entire history of Judaism—in all existing books of the Old Testament and all existing books of extra biblical Jewish writings dating from the beginning of Judaism until the tenth century A.D. in Italy—there is not a single reference of a Jewish person addressing God directly in the first person as Father. There were appropriate forms of address that were used by Jewish people in the Old Testament, and the children were trained to address God in proper phrases of respect. All these titles were memorized, and the term Father was not among them.
With the help of my assistants, I have examined the prayer literature of ancient Judaism…The result of this examination was, that in no place in this immense literature is this invocation of God as “Abba, Father” to be found…No Jew would have dared to address God in this manner. - Joachim Jeremias
The first Jewish rabbi to call God “Father” directly was Jesus of Nazareth. It was a radical departure from tradition, and in fact, in every recorded prayer we have from the lips of Jesus save one, he calls God “Father.” It was for that reason that many of Jesus’ enemies sought to destroy him; he assumed to have this intimate, personal relationship with the sovereign God of heaven and the creator of all things, and he dared to speak in such intimate terms with God. What’s even more radical is that Jesus says to his people, “When you pray, you say, ‘Our Father.’” He has given to us the right and privilege to come into the presence of the majesty of God and address him as Father because indeed he is our Father. He has adopted us into his family and made us coheirs with his only begotten Son/
And it is awesome to think that our God also makes available to us the resources of heaven itself. How great is God? Consider these words:
"Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling. O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor."
1 Chronicles 16:23-29 NLT
My friends, every day this past week I prayed the Prayer of Jesus. I discovered afresh and new this week that my job in praying is NOT to inform God; but to ENJOY God.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down . . . you did awesome things that we did not expect, . . . Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:1-4
How long has it been since God “did awesome things that we did not expect?”
If you would like to hear this message, it is posted on the church web site. Simply click HERE for a direct link.
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