Matthew
Our Father in Heaven
Our Father in Heaven is all good, and light
He is above all the earth
Throughout the Old Testament and New
We find this teaching of a holy God, who rules in a righteous Kingdom
For those who see the failures and troubles on earth
Those who hope for deliverance to be saved from the sin of this life
Comes Hope when they focus in prayer and recognize
We are not alone in our search for hope “Our”
We becomes family, “Our Father”
The holiness and purity are found in the name of Our Father
“hallowed be your name”
Our prayers should be filled with deep desire to see
your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Through prayer, you and I can bring a little heaven on earth
And who knows if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Matthew
Our Father in Heaven
Chapters 3-7…
The Kingdom of Heaven is announced
Jesus, after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness
where He is tempted by the Devil
began to preach the Kingdom.
From that time on Jesus began to preach,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17
Kingdom prayer…
“Our Father in heaven”
In Heaven…
I can remember many times
looking up into the sky…
Some of those times it was
as I lay on the ground resting
on a beautiful summer evening.
Other times it has been
after the death of a loved one.
It seems that there is not a day of my life
where I didn’t get outside
or look out a window…
That I have not looked into the sky
and wondered what is heaven like.
We use synonyms of Heaven to describe it, like…
Above, bliss, elysian fields, Elysium, empyrean,
New Jerusalem, paradise, sky, Zion (also Sion) and
contrast it with antonyms like Gehenna, Hell, Pandemonium.
There is probably not a time we think of heaven
more than when a loved one dies.
Heaven, we have not seen it.
but we all have thoughts about it.
For the believer…
The scriptures help us get an image
of what will someday be home.
In Genesis 1:7,8…
The Bible speaks of the atmosphere that
surrounds the earth, as heaven or heavens.
Above that we read in Psalms 8:3…
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
Then we see somewhere above,
different than the galaxies
of the universe, there is a place.
A place where God dwells.
Jesus clearly brings our attention to heaven
as He teaches us to pray…
“Our Father in heaven”
Jesus’ message,
which Matthew focuses on,
is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Verses 9 & 10 of Matthew 6
are the core of the Kingdom of Heaven message.
Jesus wants you and I to know
where our Father lives
and what He does there.
It is important to see heaven,
God’s dwelling place,
is FAR above Earth, above us.
It is a realm so different,
And we get a glimpse as we read…
Hallowed be your name
The word hallowed in the Greek
hagiazo means Holy.
Our Father’s name, reputation, description is Holy.
Our Father is the totality of purity,
uncontaminated.
The best this world can produce is
wheat and tares, good and evil, light and darkness.
But our Father in Heaven is all good,
and light.
He is above all the earth.
For you, O Lord,
are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
Psalms 97:9
You and I could get the idea
the Father is so far from us…
So unattainable.
But that is not Jesus’ message
And we see this in verse 10…
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Throughout the Old Testament and New,
we find this teaching of a holy God,
who rules in a righteous Kingdom.
For those who see the failures
and troubles on earth…
Those who hope for deliverance
to be saved from the sin of this life
Comes hope when they focus
in prayer and recognize…
We are not alone in our search for hope…
“Our”
We become family…
“Our Father”
The holiness and purity are found
in the name of Our Father…
“Hallowed be Your name”.
Our prayers should be filled with deep desire to see…
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Through prayer, you and I
can bring a little heaven on earth.
And who knows…
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:9-13 NIV
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'
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