Amen. Thank you very much. What a beautiful song. Worthy is the Lamb. Do you believe that tonight? If you don't, then you need to get right because very soon, all those who know the Lord shall be gathered around his throne for all eternity. And we'll sing that song, Worthy is the Lamb. And I hope you know him as your Lord and your Savior. What a song. Let's take the Word of God together and turn to the New Testament book of Luke chapter 11 this evening, if you would please. Luke chapter 11. I want to encourage you at the beginning of this new year in a subject in which our church has been thinking and dwelling for quite some time and I hope you won't find it strange that I continue this vein of thinking. Luke chapter 11 we come really to a portion of scripture that deals very specifically with prayer. Three examples and three subjects, really one subject of prayer, but three different texts in one. Luke chapter 11, we'll look together, just the first four verses. 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. And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. and forgive us our sins. For we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. And we trust that God will bless the reading and the hearing of his word. Let's pray together as we study and look at this subject matter of prayer. There's something very rich with every word of scripture, isn't there? Sometimes we breeze through familiar texts and miss perhaps some of the richest, rarest nuggets that can be found. Let's pray that God would speak to our hearts tonight, both to the saved and to the lost. Would you pray with me? Father, we thank thee for thy word. We humble ourselves and submit ourselves beneath it tonight. We ask of thee speak by thy spirit to our hearts. Give us what we need, not so much what we want, but we do pray that our wants may indeed line up with thy will and thy desire for us. Change us, we pray. We pray for those who are lost, eternally lost, dead in trespasses and sins. We ask of thee, Lord, have mercy upon them tonight and save them so that they may be amongst that great choir that will sing one day, worthy is the Lamb. Use the preaching of thy word to speak to every heart in attendance tonight we pray in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. We find the expression which has been chosen for one of our dear pastors latest books Lord teach us to pray. It's interesting when you look at that text. It's interesting that Jesus doesn't record for us. God does not record for us the question or the expression Lord teach us how to pray but rather teach us to pray. In fact, that's really where we need to begin. Teach us to pray. Let me ask you tonight, are you a praying person? When we look at this text, the answer to this is an interesting answer. Jesus answered the disciple, when ye pray. And we begin immediately to see that there's a measure of expectation for the children of God. Look here for a moment. If you are a child of God, it is expected of you to pray. Did you know that? To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing, said Mr. Luther. Think of that. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing, which means it's not possible. Do you know the Lord is your savior? Have you been born again? then you ought to be praying. Jonathan Edwards says prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. It ought to be natural for you to talk to God. It ought to be natural for us to call upon his name. If you hold your place there and turn to the record that Matthew gives us of this very same experience with the disciples, Matthew chapter six in that sermon on the mount, we're given the same prayer and many of the same words. Matthew chapter six in verse number nine, after this manner, therefore, we're told that this is a pattern for prayer. After this manner, therefore, pray ye our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. When we look at our text previous to the pattern given to us, we find in verse number five, the Lord Jesus saying, and when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites. Verse number six, but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet. And verse seven, but when ye pray, it's expected that we pray. Can I ask you tonight to get very genuine with yourself? Get very honest for just a moment with yourself. When do you pray? Are you a frequent prayer? Do you speak oft with thy Lord? It's a given. It's an expected matter that God's children pray. There's a problem when we call ourselves Christians and we function without speaking to God. It's unnatural. Can you imagine a husband and wife being married to each other and even living in the same house, but not speaking to one another? There's a problem. It ought not be that way. There ought to be open and frequent and much communication in such relationships and there should be even more communication between a child of God and his heavenly father. We're commanded to pray without ceasing. When you pray. But notice what our Savior, how our Savior instructs us in that second verse of Luke chapter 11. He said, when you pray say, our father. which art in heaven." You say, isn't that obvious? Doesn't everybody know that the direction of our prayer is heavenward? It's very interesting when you read the scriptures, we're encouraged to pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ by the power of God's Spirit. We ought to be more intentional about the way we speak to God when we pray, knowing to whom we are speaking. Do you speak to God when you pray? And not just to God, but do you call upon him and do you acknowledge him as your father? Would you look here for a moment? Do you view God as your father? There are some who would say, oh no, I can never call him father. That's a little bit disrespectful. No, no, that's what you're commanded. If you're a child of God, he's your father. In fact, it's disrespectful to call your father by his name. Can you imagine my children coming up and saying, Hey, Derek, how you doing? They'd be in trouble, wouldn't they? And so we call upon our father in heaven because he isn't just our God, but he's our heavenly father. Now this says so much in just a couple of words. There are so many things and truths to be considered this evening when we think about the instruction of praying. Before salvation, he is not our father. In fact, before salvation, he's our judge. We read in God's word, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? The psalmist writes in Psalm chapter 11, verse number four, the Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men. The Lord tryeth the righteous, but the wicked, listen, but the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and a horrible tempest. This shall be the portion of their cup for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness. His countenance doth behold the upright before Christ before salvation before conversion. We have reason to fear God. The Bible says in Psalm 98 and verse number seven, let the sea roar and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein, let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together before the Lord for he cometh to judge the earth. With righteousness shall he judge the world and the people with equity. God has told us in his word that there's coming a day of judgment. And before we are born again, before we are brought into the kingdom of God, into the family of God, we have reason to fear and tremble in the presence of God. If you go all the way to the end of this glorious book, to the last book, the book of Revelation, in almost the last chapter, the 20th chapter of Revelation, John records for us a great white throne. And I saw he says in Revelation 20 verse 11 a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. Look here for just a moment. The day of judgment when all is said and done will be a terrible day for all those who do not know Christ. It'll be such a frightening day that the Bible says heaven and earth are running from the fierceness of his anger. There was found no place for them. I saw the dead small and great stand before God. That's the spiritually dead. Tonight, if you do not know the Lord Jesus as your savior, the scriptures tell us that you are dead in trespasses and sins. And if you remain in that state, in that condition, if you're here tonight or watching tonight and you're dead in your sins and you remain in that condition until the day that you die physically or the day that Jesus returns, then you can find yourself in the 20th chapter of Revelation standing before God. And the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books. Do you see that the dead will be judged? By this great God according to their works and the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. You can almost hear the whispers of a Christless soul catching its first glimpse of the judgment seat. Oh God, dear God, but the redeemed have a different plea. Oh Father, we cry. Our Father, Abba Father, We're able to say as Jesus instructs his children, our father, which art in heaven. The understanding of God as a father changes everything. Changes the way we speak to God, changes the way that we react with God and walk with God. It should anyways. Before I came to know Jesus as my Lord and my Savior, before I was born again, and I began to understand my sin, and I began to understand the awesome majesty of God, the holiness of God, there was a time of trembling in my life. Because I realized I could never get to that awesome God. I could never deserve to enter into his presence. And there was a certain fearfulness that I was going to get what I deserved, which was an eternity in hell. I dared not call upon him because I was too afraid. I was afraid because I knew what I deserved, and I knew how holy he was, and I knew how righteous he was, and I knew that he did not abide sin. But oh, when the grace of God appeared, our perspective changes. Do you know that a child's first understanding of God is in the eyes of their father. The first view and representation of God to a child is their earthly father. What a responsibility for those of us who are fathers. There are many people who grew up in a home either without a father or with a father who was very harsh, very unloving, very cold. There are many people who grew up in such a home who have a skewed view of God because of this. Because their relationship with their earthly father was not what it ought to be and not what it could be. And because their earthly father misrepresented God to them, they have a very hard time believing that a heavenly father is a loving father. If you're a Christian father, a Christian man, you and I have an immense responsibility to demonstrate to our children from an early age what and who our God is. Our father. The difference between addressing a judge or addressing a father is immense isn't it? Now that brings us to another thought. Jesus our Lord and Savior said when ye pray say our father. That reminds us something about our relationship with God. Not everyone can call him father. Oh but some people say we're all God's children. Wrong. We are all the children of wrath by nature. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 3 very plainly states for us who our father is before we come to know the Lord Jesus. In Ephesians 2 verse number 3, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath. That's who we belong to. We're the children of wrath in Ephesians 5 verse 6. We're the children of disobedience. And John, in the book of John, Jesus tells us we're the children of the devil. People want to say, oh, we're just all God's children. No, no. No, we're not. Three separate times in John chapter 8, we're told very plainly, he's speaking to people who are thinking, trusting in their own self-righteousness. I speak, Jesus says in verse 38 of John, that which I have seen with my father and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. Who is their father? Verse 41, ye do the deeds of your father. In verse 44, ye are of your father, the devil. He comes right out with it. Can I tell you this evening, you may not realize it, but if you do not know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, if you've never been born again, you're a child of wrath, a child of disobedience, a child of darkness, and ultimately a child of Satan himself. And you need Jesus. You need Christ. Jesus gives the parable of the wheat and the tares, do you remember? about that enemy coming in at night and sowing tares amongst the wheat. And later on in that parable, the Lord Jesus says the tares are the children of the wicked one. But that can change. Yes, we're born children of wrath and children of disobedience, but that can change and it must change. Tonight, if you sense that you are indeed a child of disobedience, a child of darkness, then I want you to know there's hope for you that can be changed. Look at Galatians chapter 4. Let me share a beautiful text with you tonight. Galatians chapter 4. The Apostle Paul writing to the churches of Galatia gives us some good news. Galatians chapter 4 beginning in verse 3, even so we, including the Apostle Paul, the great human penman of just about half of the New Testament, even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father, wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. You see, when Jesus taught us to pray, he wasn't just giving nice words. Our Father, that sounds lovely and fuzzy and warm. No, he was reminding us we've been adopted. He's reminding us that we once were children of darkness, once were children of this world and of despair and without God and without hope. But on the day when the day Jesus Christ came into our lives and we were gloriously saved, we received the adoption of sons. We were born again. God brought us into his family. We left the family of darkness. We left the family of Satan and entered into the family of God. What a glorious change. And tonight if you are here and you've never been saved you can be brought from death unto life with one simple transaction a mighty moving and working by the Spirit of God. By faith if you come to Christ you will be received. The Bible tells us in the book of John, to as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, the children of God. Those who received him. Have you trusted him? Have you received that gift of salvation? We're told very plainly that sin separates us from God. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. But every gift needs receiving. Have you taken Christ? Have you by faith called on his name? Have you received him? Can you say tonight with confidence, I'm a child of God. I've been accepted into the beloved. What a beautiful, beautiful thought. We once were children of bondage, but at the right time, God sent forth his son to redeem us. That's a beautiful word, redemption, redeem. It means he bought us. He purchased us. He rescued us. And the price of purchasing you was his own shed blood. He bought you. He paid the price that you could never afford to pay. Oh, but I'm not that bad. I'm really not that bad of a person. Oh, my friend, you have no idea. You are rotten to the core. And so am I. Outside of Jesus, we are rotten to the core. And we need someone outside of us to redeem us, to rescue us, to purchase us. Can you imagine, imagine growing up, and perhaps some of you here have, but imagine growing up in an orphanage with no father and no mother and someone coming along and identifying you amongst all and saying, I'll take that one, I'll adopt this one. Can you imagine being redeemed, being purchased, being rescued? That's what the Lord Jesus does when we by faith come to him. And then we're able to say, our Father, because of the adoption. Romans chapter 8 further gives this thought to us. Romans chapter 8 and verse number 13. Romans is such a wonderful book, so rich, full of doctrine. Romans 8 chapter 13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, Ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Let me ask you a question tonight. Does God's Spirit lead you? Sometimes people struggle with doubt. Perhaps you've grown up in a Christian home. Some of you heard the testimony of my wife several weeks ago, a few months ago, and she shared with us how when she grew up in a Christian home, her father was a minister. and made a profession of faith at a young age and for many, many years doubted her salvation. Maybe that's you tonight. You're not sure. Well, the Bible tells us very plainly here, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Can you identify God's leading in your life? Has He led you? Is He leading you? Can you look back over your life and see the hand of God upon your life, leading you and guiding you and speaking to you? Those are the ones who are the sons of God. For ye have not received, watch this, verse 15, ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. Look, God does not want you to live in fear. And living in fear is bondage. He was referring to those who once lived in fear under the law, trying to keep the law, never able to keep the law, trying to make God happy by their performance and never able to do it. Fearful, afraid. Can I tell you something? You no longer have to live that way. Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. We have nothing to fear. The Bible says very plainly there, we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. That's an affectionate term. Do you know every father and mother perhaps goes through this? Maybe not everyone does, but we've recently had to go through, we're going through changes in our home as our children are getting older. And one of the things that my wife and I almost wept over, we didn't weep over it, but we certainly expressed to ourselves our discontent with it, was the day when our oldest children began to say, you know, I don't know if I want to call you daddy anymore. Dad, I like that better, they say. It's a bit cooler. My younger ones still call me daddy. and called my wife mommy. But how sweet it is to hear that. Don't worry, they still call me dad, that's okay. They still love me, I think. But there's something special about that term of endearment. Something special when a child calls out to his father or mother. And that's the privilege we have as children of God. We no longer have to live in fear. You don't have to be afraid when you go to God. Oh, I sinned. I messed up again. One of Satan's biggest tricks is convincing you that because of your sin, you can't go to God. That's a lie. It's a lie from hell. Because of your sin, you must go to God. Yes, but I've made the same stupid mistake again. Get up and go to your father. He's waiting for you. You have a right. He's wanting you to come. Come home. Our father. What an amazing thing. We no longer live in fear. We live in faith. It's either fear or faith. ye have received, past tense, the day you were saved, you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father. That's why Jesus taught us to pray our Father. If you do not learn this concept that as a child of God, he is your father, then you will forever be hiding from him, afraid of him. All along, He's waiting for you to come. When you pray, say, Our Father. We read in the text in verse number 16 of Romans 8, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Aren't you thankful that the Lord Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to live within us? And when the Spirit of God takes up residence in a child of God, the Spirit of God is actively working to do a number of things. He comforts us when we are sorrowful. Some of our dear people have gone through great loss recently, losing loved ones. But they'll testify tonight that the Spirit of God has brought them comfort. The Spirit of God convicts us, doesn't He? The difference When God saved my soul, I can remember when the Lord Jesus saved my soul, I was 18 years old and I lived a certain sinful way before conversion. And after the Lord saved me, I had no one to disciple me, no one to walk alongside of me. And I was trying to live the same way I had lived before conversion. But the difference was God's spirit was living inside of me and I couldn't enjoy it anymore. I didn't understand why I couldn't get the same satisfaction and enjoyment of sin as I did previously. And I understood later on when someone came alongside of me and began to teach me, it's because God's spirit lives inside of you and he'll convict you and you grieve him when you sin. That's another sign that you belong to him. He guides us, doesn't he? He read it a moment ago, as many as are led, He comforts us. He convicts us. He guides us. He leads us into all truth. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, boy, this is a wonderful, wonderful thought. We've talked just briefly about the expectation of prayer and then we've spoken briefly about adoption because we can't help but think of that when we cry Abba Father. But let me just talk to you for a moment not just about adoption but let's talk about inheritance. Because when we cry our Father we begin to realize not only are we the children of God and not only have we received the adoption of his sons but with that comes so much more. In just two words, our Father, we are reminded that we once were children of darkness, but now we are children of light. We're children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And we're reminded as well with those two words that we have a glorious, incorruptible inheritance. Our Father, my Father is God. Stop for a second and try to take that in. If we are children of God, then we are heirs of God. That is unfathomable. Heirs of God. And when Jesus said, when you pray, you ought to pray our father, he wasn't just saying that we as brothers and sisters, that's part of it. We have a family, but he was saying me, Jesus, and you, whatever your name is, he's our father. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. Jesus testified in the book of John that the Father, all things that the Father hath are mine. And we read twice that we are joint heirs. Verse number 17, if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together. Joint heirs with Jesus. Whatever He has, you have. I wonder, I wonder what it'll be like when we stand before our Savior one day and we'd look around at all the saints who've gone before us who knew and believed that they were joint heirs with Christ. who by faith reached into that inheritance whilst they were living on this earth and began to utilize the riches that are found in Christ. They began to explore the deep, deep truths and riches, all the access we have to God through Christ Jesus. They began to use and cherish those riches. I wonder on that day how much of a pauper I'll look like. how spiritually, spiritually poor I'll look. Because I never trusted, never believed that I'm not just a son, but I'm an heir. Can you imagine? Can you imagine being an heir of a king? Well, you are the heir of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And there's nothing that you need that you cannot have in Christ. He supplied everything according to his riches in glory. So when you pray, would you lay hold on those two words and humbly and full of faith Utter those two words with confidence, our Father, which art in heaven. Oh, how much is found. You've been adopted. Thank God for that. And you have received an inheritance incorruptible that fadeth not away. Much more than money, much more than houses and land. So much that it's yet to be discovered. Eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, and neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for those that love him. It is that standing between you and such living, the fact that you don't love him like you could. Because you don't see him as your father. Some of you may have had that experience of a pretty rough earthly father. And that may be having an effect on your view of your heavenly father. If it is, would you not humble yourself tonight, get on your knees and acknowledge that our heavenly father is nothing like our earthly fathers. And the greatest of earthly fathers pale in comparison to our heavenly father. Our father. Maybe you're here tonight and you're realizing for the first time that he's not your father. that you're a child of darkness. Tonight's the night when that can change. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. It's the accepted time. And God, who now stands as your judge, is willing this evening to become your father, if you will, by faith, come to him through Jesus Christ. Would you bow your head with me, please? I wonder this evening, how many of you know that you just don't have that relationship with our heavenly father like you should have? Would you raise your hand? Thank you. You may put your hands down. Perhaps this evening, right where you sit, you'd like to ask him to help you, help you to view him as you ought to. Perhaps you're here tonight and you know you're not saved at all. He's not your father. Then I urge you, I plead with you, would you not come? Come, one step of faith. Come, trusting that God loves you and desires for you to be his child. But he's never gonna force it. I'm going to pray, then we'll sing a hymn of invitation. And if you'd like to come, our workers will come in just a moment, they'll be ready to meet you. But let's pray.