Luke 11:1 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.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

John 14:9b . . . He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. . . .

Luke 15:31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

I John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name.

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

II Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

MEMORY VERSE: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. —Romans 8:15

 

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Jesus came to bring us into the same personal, intimate relationship with the Heavenly Father that He enjoyed Himself. He revealed, though His life, the character of the Father.

 

WORD DEFINITIONS

 

Matthew 6:6, “closet”: An inner chamber, a secret room.

John 1:12, “power”: power to act; authority; right.

Galatians 4:6, “Abba”: the term of tender endearment used by a beloved child in an affectionate, dependent relationship with his father; daddy; papa.

II Corinthians 6:17, “separate”: to mark off by boundaries; set apart. “unclean thing”: not pure, because adulterated with a wrong mix; tainted. “receive”: admit; welcome; receive into one’s favor.

LESSON BACKGROUND

The Master, seated on the mountain with his disciples gathered closely about him, began the greatest sermon ever preached. Immediately noticeable were His intimate references to “Your Father in Heaven,” a concept a bit remote from humanity until that moment, for fewer than eight times in the Old Testament, and then in a rather distant way, the name Father had been mentioned.
David seemed to grasp the concept in a more personal way (Psalm 68:5; 103:13). Isaiah pointed directly to the coming Messiah as the One Who would bring us into that relationship of Father and children (Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; 9:6). Now Christ Himself begins to lead us directly into the close relationship that He had with His Father.

The remaining verses in today’s lesson give an outline of the character of the Father—His unselfishness, His love; and the way by which we become His sons and daughters.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

 

1. Praying in Secret: What does this mean?
2. Vain Repetitions: What kind of prayers would this include?
3. Why Pray?: If the Heavenly Father already knows what we need, why do we need to pray?
4. The Unselfishness of our Heavenly Father: Which verses show us this attribute?
5. Love of our Father Manifested: How was this demonstrated in order to make us His children?
6. Personal Action: What action on my part causes me to become a child of God?

 

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

 

“Our” is a sharing word. Jesus is saying, “My Father and your Father, too.” Jesus is sharing that close relationship with us! So now WE can say, “Your Father, Jesus, and MY Father too!”

Taking it a step further, we remember that the blessings we ask for ourselves, we also ask for others, and live in such a way to share the blessing of being God’s child with others. He is not just MY Father, He is YOUR Father, too. We are sisters and brothers.

“Behold, what manner of love!” His is an unselfish, sacrificial love. He laid down His life so we could share in the glory and fellowship He had with His Father and inherit the riches of the Father’s Kingdom. As we say, “Our Father,” let us thank God for the awful cost of Jesus’ shed blood and sacrificial life.

He did not go to such costs so that we might remain in cold, formal, distant religion, but that we might, moment by moment, by His blood and in His Name, commune personally with the Father. We can come to Him for every need—all that He has is ours! We need never to ask in hesitation or unbelief. Ask in faith! It is His good pleasure to give the kingdom—righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!

How do we know our Heavenly Father’s character? By studying the life of Jesus. How did He deal with all kinds of people and situations? Was He affectionate, kind, forgiving, patient, generous? What then might we expect of His dealings with us or His correction?

However distant, limited, absent, forbidding, or abusive the relationship with our earthly father may have been—our relationship with the Father can be, through Christ, warm, endearing, and affectionate. We can look up into His face, expectantly, and say, “Abba.” “Daddy.”

As we lift our hearts in prayer to Him, let this knowledge transform our prayer lives from duty to delight!

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

The Lord’s prayer is a simple prayer outlining key elements and dispositions that should constitute our prayers today. We should always endeavor to come to the Lord with humility of heart in reverence, recognizing our insufficiencies and littleness and His greatness.

Jesus also gave us the illustration of the publican and Pharisee who came to the temple to pray. The Pharisee enumerated his own goodness, which was a form of pride. I noticed the words preceding these two prayers: “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.” May this spirit be far from our hearts and minds. The publican smote his breast and simply said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” The Pharisee “prayed thus with himself.” His prayer lacked heartfelt humility.

It is not so much the words as it is the heart and spirit behind it. I don’t remember all the details, but I remember an account of a man who didn’t know how to pray. In few words his heart cried, “Lord this is Jim.” He prayed that way sincerely at different times, “Lord, this is Jim.” In other words, “I am here, Lord, waiting before You, wanting and needing to hear Your words down in my heart.” Somehow, the Lord answered Jim back: “Jim, this is the Lord.” That was all it took to bring peace down into Jim’s hurting heart.

Let us not fall into the trap of thinking we will be heard by much speaking. Few, sincere words are best.

—Bro. Bob Wilson