The Paternity of Prayer, Part 1

God can do so without knowing or having any idea of Dr. Tony Evans is when we pray to the Lord.

We need to remember who's listening that is so material answered prayer. This is the alternative Dr. Tony, author, speaker and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative. The disciples saw firsthand the intimacy Jesus had with the father when he prayed, so it's no surprise they asked him to teach them how to pray. Let's join Dr. Evans as he explores that with us today. A lot of people think they know the Lord's prayer, but we're going to walk through the Lord's prayer, word by word, line by line, Jesus told his disciples to pray and let them know you don't have a print relationship secret. Don't think you're accomplishing anything in public that God took the secret closet of communication because you want a relationship with him just want something from him. You want to be with you for prayer is relational communication with God. Yes to draw. I haven't had biggest reach determine the time and the mechanism that God establishes prayer and Luke's rendition of the Lord's prayer Luke 11 one. The disciples went to him and said, teach us to pray we see this power you have these miracles you do we see this direction. In this hookup you have with God we want in on back, teach us to pray that leads Jesus to tell them the Lord's prayer is no really good because the disciples prayer because this is a prayer that Jesus could never pray to Jesus can pray this prayer because it says forgive us our trespasses, and he would never need to be forgiven. So it's really not his prayer to pray is him teaching us how to pray. Now the Lord's prayer is divided into a very simple flow to have if you will.

The first half is concerned with God, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. It's about thy will you the second half is about us, our daily bread trespasses lead us not into temptation.

The first half is all about God.

The second half is about you and that of course he closes it would prayer about God again. That is the kingdom, the power of the glory forever and ever. Amen.

So it's God's God, what leads Jesus into this prayer from verse eight is a statement that God knows I need your father already knows. Before you ask what you coming member talk about so prayer is not an informational session to inform God so that I already know what you want to talk about. I just want to know you want to talk to me about here is the key. Just because God knows something doesn't mean he will. He has knowledge of everything but something she will not want until there is relational communication with him about it. So his knowledge does not equal his action. I know what you need.

I just want to know. Do you want me or just do you want meeting of the prayer becomes an answer to that question. Jesus says pray in this way. In verse nine. Pray like this.

This is really not a prayer to be repeated Word for Word is really a framework, a guy for praying this prayer is one of those empty prayers prayed by people so we really look at the Bible because you notice prayer it's it's been prayed since you were a child.

He says pray like this in other words, follow this guy that this be a governing premise as to how you approach pray so is nothing wrong with repeating it but he doesn't want just meaningless or what he called in verses five through eight pain repetition just talking because you memorized it but he says you can use this as an outline. If you will for communicating with God verse nine is pregnant with principles for prayer. First of all our father, our father played.

You are not an only child is not just know that it's our father. Why does Jesus say when you approach me you are approaching God and not just your God because you're not the only kid in the family. If you are a parent and one of your children wants to act like that you're only kid there will be conflict not only with all the kids with daddy who has to equally relate to the whole family so you can't be in a family of multiple people multiple children and function like you're the only child it's in our father. This is why God is said there are certain things he will not do for one of his children if they are not connected to the rest so any unchurched uninvolved Christian is blocking the father from answering their personal needs because they don't want to be related to the siblings. So that's why God wants every Christian to be a functional ministering part of a local church with the Bible calls the family of God, the household of faith. Scripture says forsake not been something of yourselves together. All one another's in Scripture love one another One another for support one another connect with one another assist one another. Always one another in Scripture because God says you will get more from daddy if I see you relating to your siblings so church involvement has to do with father engagement. One father, many children so it's our father who is in heaven, not just your day, you need to know is our father who art in heaven, translation our father who's not owners. Your father is a heavenly father.

Now this is critical because you and I live on earth and on earth, we operate by our five senses and we are limited by time and space comes with earthbound limitations or some about your day.

Your dad is not subject to the limitations of time and space because your daddy's house is in heaven. Daniel 426 says Hampton rules over earth. So what you need to know when you pray to your unseeing father is that he is very much operative. He's in heaven, and heaven overrules earth so therefore the limitations of your earthly father are not the limitations of your family father because your earthly father is down to earth as you but your heavenly father is not.

Therefore, if you put all your marbles on your earthly father with the patient's view of a missile on the potency of your heavenly father who is not subject to this world order.

I'm glad to know that earthly fathers don't have the last word. So if you were raised without a phone if you were raised with an abusive father. If you arrange with the neglected father, I want you to know right now that that earthly father don't have the last say-so over your life. Although your recovery over your stability over your provision because your daddy got a daddy who is in heaven that Izzy operates out of a hole different. Well then he comes to it.

His hollow to be done, hollowed be that the Greek word hollowed means to be sacred separated and unique is to treat as one-of-a-kind to treat the special a class by itself from one of the cognates of the word holy beach separate, unique, special daddy nobody like you to join the meeting to talk about my father because I know the price he paid for a family father dropped out of high school because my grandfather was not able to make inns meet and then when he could went back to night school so he could finish. We had the four of us was a longshoreman working on the in the Baltimore Harbor and some weeks he wouldn't have work to do loading and unloading boats sometimes went on for months that they didn't call them for work so I remember now if you were to go to the basement of the home that I grew up. If you see all of this stuff. Old TVs already owes because to make ends meet. He would go down. He would try to fix the neighbors ready. All the neighbors televisions to just get a few dollars. So we could eat as most of you know I don't eat fish can't stand fish but there's a reason I came in fish and only fish because when my father didn't get work could make ends meet. Even shining people's shoes, he would go fishing and he would go out and take a nap and Carrying the herring a little fish with a billion bones take. He would Turn by the hundreds we had herring and eggs for breakfast herring mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch. Herring and greens for dinner and herring in ice cream for dessert. I mean we got overwhelmed with Harry. I hate fish because for some reason that's been created a negative thing.

My point is, he would do what he had to do for his family. He would give excuses. He wouldn't say is talk about wouldn't blame racism all those things are real but he had a responsibility to take care of his family and so when the common stock hollowed be celebrate his name and there is no inconvenience. There is nothing I'm not willing to do that I'm able to do because I know the price you pay when you know the price God pay for your salvation for your delivery. It should be a problem.

Following his name that Lisa put in a class by itself to be treated like just another deity or just another great good. Know you are diminishing is next. That's why the third commandment says don't take the name of the Lord. That means don't follow his name don't treat his name as ordinary don't treat his name is something regular we dealing with super unleaded, not regular. The Bible uses many names for God.

Dr. Evans will have much more to say about that when he continues her message just a moment. First though, a quick reminder that you can get.

Tony's current series, the Lord's prayer on CD and digital download to review and study at your own pace. This eight part collection focuses on how to make your prayers more like the model Jesus gave us become more effective, more intimate and more about God's agenda than our own. Just visit Tony Evans.org make a contribution and will say thanks by sending you full-length copies of all the messages in the Lord's prayer series, including material we won't have time to share here on the air and as a special bonus just for a limited time will include a copy of Tony's powerful book, God is more than enough centered on Psalm 23. Dr. Evans explores how David's timeless masterpiece goes beyond literary brilliance and teaches us the secret to finding a happy life by looking for fulfillment in God alone. Both of these resources can be yours.

But don't wait for special offer ends soon. Just visit Tony Evans.org to get the details and make a donation or call 1-800-800-3222 were members of our resource team are on duty 24 hours a day to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222, or online@tonyevans.org with Dr. Evans. Welcome back with more of today's lesson right after this too often it's an us versus them society even among believers. It shouldn't be like this and it can't be like this unity is key to spiritual victory and when believers stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer.

Darkness is overcome in his book stronger together weaker apart powerful prayers to unite us in love. Dr. Tony Evans urges you to unite in prayer, providing a starting place and then inviting you to pray in your own words. Find out more about stronger together weaker apart visit Tony up and started toward my book on the names of God I am in the back names in the Old Testament for God 85 names because those names have meaning. So when he says will be your name. If you don't know his name. UK hollow to put it another way, the better you know his name. The more you can hollow him because you have more information on your daddy. First of all is the name Elohim is the name in Genesis 1 in the beginning Elohim. God created the heaven and the earth. This is his power. When you know your daddy is so big he can bypass raw material to pull off answered prayer that the data you want to talk to second foundational name Jehovah or Yahweh. That is the name God gave himself, that is God's relational maintenance is, nicknames it says connect with you name Moses asked who should I say sent me. He said that I am not what you want me to be, why am I am a relational.you have to understand God. That's why you this father is a relational being. So if you don't want to relate to Jehovah you may not get the benefit of Elohim Sierra Nevada was Elohim, show me your power, but not a lot of the one Jehovah give me the relationship and God will give you Elohim if you want number Jehovah you want to spend time with you want to get to know you want to study. If you want to learn and apply.

You want to interact with you want to include what you will be blessed what the power you want to deliver its name is Jehovah when it comes to relational expression of Elohim. That's why in Genesis chapter 1 only name in Genesis 1 is Elohim because he's creating stop some and animals eat doing all that. But in chapter 2 verse four when he begins creating people you don't read Elohim anymore, by itself, you read Jehovah Elohim or agile sit in the Bible, the Lord God, the Lord God, the Lord God.

Why because man would see Elohim when he got connected with Jehovah. So if you want to see more power get closer to daddy because daddy is the one who dispenses the Elohim power of God don't have a long distance with God and expect close-up deliverance close-up blessings close-up fire. Closer protection comes a provision to keep a long distance from the day know he wants to be Jehovah, then the third foundational name is Adonai Adonai when you read your Bible is L small, small, small D, L small small small beach that is typically not means your balls, your manager, your supervisor, the one in charge of you that Adonai so Elohim is Jehovah is his relationship and Adonai means that he's in charge of you. So if you want God telling you what to do. Don't be calling on Elohim and don't be thinking you get close to go Jehovah because he is in charge. He wants to call the shots.

Just some of the key scriptures about the name of God, he said.

For example, in Psalm 34 verse one in verse three we are to magnify the name she says in Hebrews 13 verse 15 you are to give thanks for God's name. He says in second Timothy 219 says when you go public. You are aware of God's name. He says in Psalm eight verse one above is not magnify the Lord with me that is exalted name together. He says in Psalm 111 verse nine.

Awesome is his name and event name is also nobody else's name it. He says awesome is his name. When talking about a name above every day and guess what the greatest name in the world is your daddy most powerful name in the world is your heavenly father so you are to magnify the name, not just being emotional emotionalism is when you make a lot of noise about nothing but true emotion is when you make a big deal about something. So when God does something in your life because you join him in prayer that you are to leave me. You may even forget the three main but if you forget, technically called the name with the old folks used to do because they would say the doctor and said, is a law you in Gilead witnessing Sharon.

He's a bright and morning star if you can't remember the name of the person and when you see him show up in the palm of her following name as you treat them as far the team will do when the defense goal. They just doll and they do that a given given on to John the elevation of what just happened. When you lift on what he could do not keep it to yourself to give it to give it up and give him glory have that kind of relationship with God the father that Dr. Evans described today. If you don't know what it means to be a real Christian. Stay with us back in a moment to wrap up the program with a look at how you can do that first. So I want to remind you to stop by Tony up and start or and get that special double offer.

I mentioned a little earlier. A copy of Tony's current series, the Lord's prayer and his powerful life-changing book God is more than enough retakes an in-depth look at how Psalm 23 can help you realize this simple truth if the Lord is your shepherd he will meet all your needs.

Both of these resources are great tools for digging deeper into what we been learning here we like you to have these as her. Thank you gift when you help us keep Tony's teaching on the station by making a contribution.

Contact us today at Tony Avenue and start or to get the details and make the arrangements or call us on our 24 hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222. The Bible tells us to bring our requests to the Lord. But tomorrow Dr. Evans will explain why those requests to have more to do with God's agenda than our own. Right now though he's back to talk about the most important decision you could possibly make you not a Christian because religions will become to go to church or even because you believe in God, your Christian because you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal sin bearer, being that women just doing good works.

That's nice but it's not sufficient when God demands perfection. Second Corinthians 521 says he who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

So what God is said is he placed your sin on the cross on the Christ and then judge Christ for your sin if you will go to Christ. He will take Christ righteousness which is perfect and he will credited to your account so you will stand before God never sent because your sin was because you got a Simmons credit on your account with you will receive Jesus Christ right now if you will invite him into your life believing that he died for you and roles for you personally. He will credit your account with perfection because it already credited your sin on the Jesus Christ.

So go to Christ right now get this free gift of salvation that is offered on the alternative with Dr. Tony Avenue inviting urban alternative is made possible by the generous confusion of listeners like