OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

 

Key Verse 6:9

"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..."

The previous Sunday we studied Daniel's prayer. Today we would like to briefly think about the Lord's Prayer, particularly the first prayer topic which the Lord Jesus asked us to pray for. The first prayer topic reads, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Let us think about this prayer topic in two parts:

I "Our Father in heaven"

(1) God is "our" Father.

The word “our" tells us that He is not only my Father or your Father but also "our" Father. The word "our" is a possessive form of the word "we". The word "we" presupposes a community of people. 

As of the day of Jesus, this community included Jesus, among other members, and his disciples Peter, John, James, and certainly Matthew the tax collector. To Matthew, this title "our" bore special meaning, for the religious leaders of Jesus' day—the Pharisees, Sadducees, or the teachers of the law—excluded people like Matthew from the category of the people called "we". But Jesus did not exclude him. In his mercy Jesus visited Mr. Levi's office. He invited him to the fellowship saying, "Follow me." Levi could not believe what Jesus had just said. So he must have looked around to see whether or not Jesus was talking to someone else. But in his tax collector's booth, there was only one person seated in the box. In amazement he looked at Jesus once again. Then Jesus still looked at him smiling. Then joy erupted in his heart. Without knowing what he was doing, he got up and followed Jesus. 

Once he came to join the fellowship with Jesus, suddenly he was surprised to find tons of friendly people. In the past he was a total loner. Perhaps he was still not married. So he woke up by himself. Then he ate breakfast all by himself. In order to save money, instead of buying lunch at a local restaurant or convenience store, he made a lunch box for himself. Then he went to his office. All day long he worked by himself. Then after the day was done, he came back home by himself. He fixed dinner for himself. He then ate dinner by himself. He watched TV by himself. He then went to bed by himself. Then the next morning he woke up by himself. He fixed a box lunch for himself. He went to his office by himself. Every once in a while, in order to save gas money, he would think about "sharing a ride" with someone else, but he brushed aside the idea because in the first place he was not sure as to whether or not there would be anyone who would have anything to do with a so-called "public" sinner like him. In this way he lived as a loner. 

But once he joined the fellowship with Jesus, he came to find lots of friends. Of course the best friend he found was Jesus himself. In Jesus he could find true friendship. Friends understand friends. In the past he thought no one understood him. But he was wrong, for to his great surprise Jesus perfectly understood him. So inspired by Jesus' spirit of friendship, he called up many tax collectors, and invited all of them to his house. In the past these tax collectors were a bunch of competitors. But since he met Jesus, his attitude towards them changed. He came to have compassion for them. So in order to share with them the spirit of friendship found in Jesus, he called them up and invited all of them to a Matthew's Banquet! 

Aside from Jesus, he found Jesus' disciples as true friends. Of course from time to time many of the disciples in Jesus' common life bugged him. For example Simon Peter's vocabulary was very short, so Matthew found it difficult to get into an intellectually stimulating talk with him on highly sophisticated subjects like “E equals MC squared.” So while the other brothers in the common life house were talking about things like who is greater than whom, he generally kept his mouth shut. But still he found all of them extremely friendly. What he liked about them the most was their humility. They did not pretend to be somebody. They were just themselves, nothing more or less than themselves. Most importantly they all admitted that they were sinners. So immediately, Matthew made all of them his own brothers. 

More significant than the newly found friendship with fellow disciples in the Lord is his calling God not only his own Father but also "our" Father. He was happy to be a member of a spiritual family where along with other brothers and sisters in the Lord he could call God, "Our Father!" Matthew's gospel is the first gospel of the four gospels found in the New Testament Scriptures. And the first word in the first prayer topic in the Lord's Prayer is "our." And indeed it is significant to see that our Lord Jesus established once a perpetual loner Levi to teach us how to pray saying, "This then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven....’” 

(2) He is our "Father".

Next, let us think about the title "Father." In Hebraic thought the word "father" has the meaning of “originator.” This is seen in the Hebrew word for father, pronounced "ab," which consists of the first two Hebrew letters, Aleph and Bet. Aleph stands for God; Bet stands for family. Consistent with this meaning, the name of Abraham (the beginner of the family which believed in God) comes with the first Hebrew letter Aleph. The same is true with the first man Adam, whose name also begins with Aleph. 

How then did God become our Father? We find an answer to this question in the Bible in two ways. First, by way of his creation, he became our Father. Then, by way of his redemption in and through Jesus, he became our Father as well. 

In Genesis 1 and 2 we see that God became our Father by making the first man Adam out of dust. Then he planted in Adam God's image. Then in Genesis 2:7 we see God breathing into Adam's nostrils the breath of God's mouth, namely God's Spirit. Then Adam became a living being. 

But upon sinning, Adam lost the relationship with the Father. But God did not leave Adam in this lost condition. Instead of leaving Adam and his descendants in a fatherless condition like orphans, the Lord God sent Jesus to look for what was lost. 

So through God's initiative, we all came to hear the good news: the news that everyone who believes in Jesus and accepts Him as the Lord and Savior can enter a new relationship with God as his or her Father through Jesus. Indeed for this purpose Jesus came and died for our sins. While hanging on the cross Jesus prayed to God saying, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus then ascended to heaven to work as our defense attorney before God. For those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior, Jesus asks God for his Holy Spirit. Then God, who is pleased with Jesus, grants Jesus' request, so Jesus sends to them the Holy Spirit as a gift. By His Holy Spirit, everyone who believes in Jesus can call God once again "Abba Father." In Mark 14:36 we see Jesus calling God his father saying, "<Abba>, father! Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." But this privilege to call God Father is not just for Jesus but for everyone who has God's Spirit through faith in Jesus. Speaking of this transaction, the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:15, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, <"Abba,> Father." The Apostle Paul also says in Galatians 4:6, "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, <"Abba>, Father." 

In this way, God became our Father first by his creation then by his redemption. 

This was what happened to the disciples of Jesus like Matthew, the tax collector. In the past he lived like a spiritual orphan. As a spiritual orphan he did not know where he came from and where he was going. He did not know whom he should rely upon for life security.  So he relied on money. But God had mercy on him. In His mercy God sent Jesus to look for what was lost. When Jesus visited Levi's office and called him ("Follow me"), Levi heard his voice. He got up and followed Jesus. This was an act of repentance and faith in Jesus. Then Matthew tasted God's kingdom arising in Him. Now, he became one of the blessed "gospel-writers". As a blessed member of God's family he writes in his gospel the Lord's prayer saying, "This then is how you should pray, "Our Father in heaven!" In Jesus, he found a true security of life: his heavenly Father!

From this we learn that each time we read the Lord's Prayer, the first question we need to ask is, "Have I really accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior?" Then we ask, “Do I really have God the Father as the true security of my life?”

(3) He is our Father "in heaven". 

After the two words "Our Father" the Apostle Matthew added a phrase "in heaven." Here "in heaven" does not mean a geographic location. Rather it was used to distinguish our heavenly Father from our earthly fathers. 

Unlike our heavenly Father, an earthly father's relationship with his offspring is primarily physical. He endows his son with certain physical traits and psychological characteristics. Of course by training his children, a father can develop and direct these traits and characteristics and thereby control his son’s physical and mental structures. But there is a limit to what an earthly father can do for his offspring. 

Speaking of this truth, John 1:10-13 says, "He [i.e., Jesus] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

In this way our earthly father is limited. But our heavenly Father is different. In his dictionary one cannot find the word "limit". Particularly he is limitless in his love and power. 

How do we know that His love and his power are unlimited? We do not have to speculate on this question too much, because in the first place it was the Apostle Matthew who experienced God's love and power firsthand, so in many places of his gospel he talks about our heavenly Father's love and power, which are limitless. 

For example, let us read Matthew 5:43-46: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" Love your enemies! Wow! We can say, "Okay, I can love my neighbor, as I love myself." But when our neighbor turns out to be our enemy, the story becomes different. This however changes altogether. When we taste God's love very personally, we can also be deeply satisfied in His love. Then in and with his love we can have the power to love even those who give us hard times. 

Matthew's gospel also abounds with stories which reveal the infinitely great power of our heavenly Father. One of these stories is found in Matthew 17:14-17. There, one poor father came to Jesus saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." Jesus then replied, "O unbelieving and perverse generation! How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." They brought the boy to Jesus. Jesus saw the boy rocking and rolling. Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Here "faith" means "faith in God (Mark 11:22)."

One more attribute of our Heavenly Father is his holiness. He is perfect in every way conceivable, especially in morality. If you want to know a little more about this, you may wish to read Matthew's gospel Chapters 5-7 in one sitting. Speaking of God's perfection, especially in his holiness, Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." 

Our earthly fathers are not perfect. Today is Mother's Day. So at first I was thinking about writing a message about Proverbs 31:10-31 to talk about the image of a perfect mother. But I recognized that in corporate America, growing children of this nation have more problems with their fathers than with their mothers, so on this Mother's Day we have a message about our heavenly Father who is perfect! 

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven!" Yes. Our earthly fathers are imperfect. Some of them never come back home to sit at the dining table even on Thanksgiving Day.  Some of them even do not send child-support checks. And who knows that these fathers have their own "father" problem? So we need to give them a break. Then we instead focus on our heavenly Father who sent Jesus! And we must give thanks to God, for He chose to become our own Father by sending His one and only Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior! And as we come to Him in and through Jesus, he richly blesses us with all things we need for life! Then as we come to him in prayer we can have the hope to grow in His image, just as once a selfish Levi was changed into a saint Matthew! 

From this prayer topic, then, we learn that through practicing the Lord's Prayer, especially the first prayer topic in which God the Father is called our own personal Father, we can overcome all the problems we have in this difficult generation, particularly the "father" problem. Then we can grow as beautiful children of God with sound, solid, and steady character, like that of our Lord Jesus.

II "Hallowed be your name" 

Now, as we live as children of our heavenly Father, what should be our supreme duty? In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us that our supreme duty is to pray to Him saying, "Hallowed be your name." Let us think about this topic in two parts:

(1) Hallowed be. 

What does "Hallowed be" mean? It means "to make or set apart as holy; to respect and honor greatly." God's name is already holy. So we cannot make God's name holier. To us, then, "hallowed be" means that in our minds we must set apart God's name as holy and in our daily lives live our lives in a manner worthy of God's name. 

(2) Your name

This leads us to the next subject: His name. "Hallowed be your name." What does "your name" mean? Technically your name means God's name - the name of our Heavenly Father! In Hebrew thought, “name” represents one's essential qualities. For example, “Abram” means “exalted father.” But “Abraham” means “father of many nations.” “Jacob” means “deceiver.” “Isaac” means “laughter” or simply “joy.” But “Israel” means a man who got an A plus in struggling with God. 

Likewise God also has a name. In many places of the Bible, the Lord God revealed his name differently. For example let us go to the Book of Exodus and read 6:3. "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them." Here we have two names: God Almighty (El Shaddai) and the LORD (YHVH in Hebrew Alphabet). 

“El Shaddai” primarily means the love and power of God which are infinitely great. The LORD refers to the Word who became flesh and lived for a while among us, namely Jesus Christ. 

As used by Matthew however the word "name" simply refers to the attributes of God, who sent Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. In Matthew's gospel Chapters 5-7, which is known as Jesus' sermons on the mountain, we can have a concrete idea of what it is to live a life that is worthy of God's name. So I would not bother to explain what it is to practically live in a manner worthy of his name. 

The remaining question for us is, "How can we live a life in a manner worthy of his blessed name?" Again we find an answer to this question in the word "name," that is, by entering into a personal relationship with our heavenly Father in and through Jesus Christ. The word "name" indicates a personal fellowship where one can know each other intimately. As we mentioned earlier there seem to be many different ways to know God. But the only way for us to know God fully is through Jesus Christ. We can study God's beautiful creation and can know God to a certain degree. We can read books about God and can know God to a certain extent. But, unless and until we fully repent of our sins and accept Jesus and follow his way, it is impossible to know God fully. 

For those who have already accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior, the deeper question should be, "Do I know Jesus Christ as fully as I should?" This latter question is particularly important because it is through Jesus alone that we can know God personally. There are many people out there who try to know God through means other than Jesus Christ—through philosophy or through abstract speculation. But the Bible says that [Jesus] the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. More directly than this, Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So it is essential to know Jesus in person. In order to help us to know Jesus "better," we would like to study the book of Philippians; there, the Apostle Paul disclosed his life-long desire saying, "I want to know Christ (Phi 3:10)!" 

One word: Our Father in heaven! 

---