ROMANS 8:14-17 (LUKE 11:2-4) God’s Paternity Is Our Unity

Luke 11:2-4 (KJV) 2 And He said unto them, "When ye pray, say: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Romans 8:14-17 (NIV) For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co- heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Where Prayer Begins Notice that this model for all prayer begins with God.  “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” (vs. 2) It starts with reverential worship.  The word worship means “worth-ship.”  God is worthy, deserving of our praise.  We need to take some time to give God the adoration and praise He deserves. So often we rush into prayer with our list of things-we begin with what we want.  Prayer trains us to focus on God alone When we pray, we’re calling home!  Heaven may seem like a far- away place right now, yet God is both there and with us.

Unity In The Lord’s Prayer Two unifying words that connect us with believers around this world:  “Our”  “Father” When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we show solidarity with our fellow Christians.  This prayer unites all Christians, expressing a profound unity within the fellowship of all believers, regardless of denomination.  It makes us realize that in prayer we are not alone.  We are one with the Community of Faith, with all who trust in Jesus.  “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23 NIV)

God is our FATHER A New relationship with God was started through the person of Jesus  He referred to God as “Father”  “Abba” = Daddy  Many people in Jesus day would see “Father” as too familiar a term to use.  Jesus defined the nature of our relationship to God – family.  “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” – (Galatians 3:26)  “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out,“Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6) The Apostle Paul explains that we’ve been "adopted" into God’s family  “God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 4:5, NLT) John would add his sentiments  "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!" (I John 3:1).

The Relationship With “Abba” Some people have a hard time relating to God as “Father” because of earthly fathers:  Rejection  Abandonment (even in death)  Abuse For those people God wants to be the father they never had.  “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” (Psalm 68:5, NLT) We can trust God-He truly understands and loves us.  God does not possess the weaknesses, failings and inconsistencies of our human fathers.  When we need Him most, He promises “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Father” should be the motivation to PRAY! A common objection to prayer is this:  Since God already knows our needs, why do we need to pray?  We don’t pray in order to inform an ignorant God or badger a reluctant God.  We pray because we have a family relationship. We need to talk to God and He is pleased when we do so.  Our Father wants to be asked for what He longs to give.  Our prayers, in turn, prepare us to receive what God wishes to give.  Sometimes we simply need to talk, to unburden ourselves because He always has the time to listen. Early on in this prayer we call on God, saying "Thy Kingdom come“  It was common in the ancient Middle East for kings to be called the "father" of their people.  When we call God Father we identify ourselves as children of the King, and we are confessing that He is our sovereign Lord.

Finals Thoughts Since we are invited to address God as "our Father", this means that we who pray this prayer are brothers and sisters. The Lord’s Prayer gives us an outward focus.  It’s perfectly fine to offer God our personal needs, but God wants us to pray with the needs of others in mind as well. John assures us in the opening chapter of his Gospel:  "To all who receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God" (vs 12). “Our Father” will continue to watch for us even when we are not looking for Him (Prodigal Son)