Chapter 11 verses two through four. Now, many of you are probably quite familiar with the Lord's prayer and Christ gave the Lord's prayer not as a prayer for us to repeat over and over and over again. No, there's nothing wrong with praying the Lord's prayer or scripture. It's actually a good practice. However, the reason Christ gave us the Lord's prayer was as an example.

To his disciples and therefore, to us of how to pray, not these particular words but how we are to speak in prayer with our heavenly father. And as we look through the Lord's prayer, this morning, I want us also to see how that this prayer not only gives us a good example of how to speak with our heavenly father but also tells us a lot about our heavenly father and therefore, a little bit about how we who are fathers can be good fathers to the children and grandchildren we have here also. So, let's look at it. Luke 11 and verses two through four and he said unto them, when you pray, say, our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in earth, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Let's pray. Dear Lord, thank you for your word today. Thank you that you are father to those who receive Jesus Christ, your son, as our savior. Lord, you are a loving father, a caring father, a righteous father, a perfect father, a holy father.

Lord, we can only as we look to your example, seek to be more and more like you each day as fathers on this earth and as Christians in general. Lord, we thank you that you do invite and hear our prayers. And Lord that you do care for us greatly. Lord, I pray as we go throughout this day and this week and the weeks to come that we would be reminded how much you do care for us, how much you gave that we might become the children of God and that we might do our very best by your grace and strength to be the best representatives and children upon this earth that we can be and point other people to our wonderful father in heaven. In Jesus name, we pray.

Amen. We start out with our father. Our father tells us who we're talking to, okay? When we pray, we're not talking into the air. We're not simply going through a ritual.

We're not talking to any God that you there might supposedly be. As children of God, as those saved by the blood of Christ, we are speaking with our what? We are speaking with our father and indeed he is our father twice. He is our father and that he created us and he made us. He is our creator God, our father in that respect but also he is our father.

Secondly, through redemption. Through Jesus Christ, his son, who he gave on Calvary's Cross, that we through faith in him might become the children of God. As many as received him, that is Jesus. To them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name and if you have believed on the name of Jesus Christ, put your faith in him as your redeemer and Lord, then, you have become a child of what? Who?

You become a child of God, a child of the king and your father wants to hear from you. He wants to hear from you. He wants to communicate back and forth with you through his word and in prayer. He wants to help you. He wants us to pray and so, Jesus when he gave the example started out our father.

Often when I pray, I I start out my heavenly father. For indeed he is my heavenly father. So, our father is a term that denotes a relationship that you have with the one to whom you speak. Galatians four six and because you are the sons of God, God hath because you are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying what? Abba, father.

The word Abba is a term of endearment. Our fathers denotes a wonderful, incredible relationship that I have with the God of the universe. It's amazing. I don't have that relationship with the governor. I don't have that relationship with the president but I have that relationship with the king of kings and the Lord of lords and if you're a child of God, you do too.

He is your father. It is a term of reverence and respect. Certain cases, people call someone who is not truly their father, father as a term of reverence or respect. And indeed, we should honor and respect our parents. Honor thy father and mother.

That means more than just obey them. It means show them reverence. Respect them. Give them honor that they are due as parents to you. And so as we go to the Lord in prayer, we are reminded that he is a holy and a great God to whom is owed our reverence and honor and respect.

And again, as I mentioned, the word Abba is a term of affection or endearment. He loves you and you love him and therefore, when we pray, we pray our father. We don't pray many times just dear Lord, even though dear Lord is fine. Just dear God, dear God is fine but why is it that Jesus chose to say our what? Father here in his example.

He chose to say that because it indeed is a term of affection. Affection. And you should have love and affection for the God who has shown so much love and affection for us. When we were unworthy by all counts of that affection. He showed us his love.

When he sent his son to die in our place. For God commended his love toward us and while we were yet sinners, Christ what? Died for us. Why did he die for us? Because he loves us, because he loves you.

Therefore, he gave his life for you. Greater love hath no man than this that a man may lay down his what? Life for his friends. Jesus did that for you. No greater love is there than one lay down their life for another and the Bible says, that thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

He is deserving of our love in return. So, when we say our father or dear heavenly father, however it is, you start your prayer. Remember, you have a relationship with him that is precious. He deserves your respect and he deserves your love. For he is your what?

He is your father. Where is he? Well, next, we learn where he is. Our father which art where? In heaven.

He is in heaven. That's where he is. Now, we know from the Bible that God is omnipresent. That means that God is everywhere. He's not limited to a particular place because he is a spirit.

However, he has a throne from which he oversees everything that happens on this earth and that throne is in heaven. It is the place where he is exalted above all. Isaiah chapter six, Isaiah wrote in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple. Christ, God, our father, all are exalted in heaven and so when we pray, we are directing our prayers toward our father who is in an exalted place on his throne in heaven. Not only is he exalted there but from there he observes, oversees his creation, okay?

Proverbs for fifteen three. The eyes the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. From God's throne in heaven, he sees all that is going on. Not only is he see it but he is involved in it. He is not a god who is dispassionate about what is happening on this Earth.

He is not a god who is not involved for indeed he is. Unlike a song I heard as a teenager that says, God is watching us from a distance as though he somehow removed and distant and doesn't care. That is not true. He is very much aware of as David puts it in Psalm 139, when you sit down and when you stand up, what the words are that come out of your mouth even before they come out of your mouth. That there's nowhere you can hide from him and wherever you go, particularly as a child of God, he will never what?

Leave you nor forsake you. So, he is at his place in heaven where he is exalted above all, where he observes all, and it's a place from which he can hear and provide for the needs of his children. It's a place of authority and power. He is in a position to what? He is in a position to help you.

He's in a position to help me. There are certain things that you're probably not going to come to me about for various reasons but one of the reasons you're not going to come to me about certain things because I cannot what? I cannot help you. I am not a doctor. If you need surgery, don't come to me, okay?

You don't want me doing surgery on you because I'm not a surgeon, okay? But there are other things in life that even surgeons can't do. There are things that are out of the control of men but they're not out of the control of who? Of almighty God in heaven. He is in a position of authority and power.

He can help you or he can chasten you. But he our father in heaven is in the place to do either whichever he needs to do and in reality, as a child of God, chastening you is actually what? It's actually helping you as well, okay? Whatever it is you need, God is there. He is in a position to help you.

As fathers on Earth, we have been placed in the home as well as authorities but with that authority comes great what? Response ability. Responsibility. A responsibility, I'm afraid that too many fathers today have completely fallen short in. The responsibility of being a father.

Fathers should be more than biological fathers. They should be fathers that are more like our heavenly father. Who take the responsibilities of being a father. To themselves and fulfill those to the best of their ability. In Ephesians five, fathers reminded, you are to love your wives even as what?

Christ loved the church. We are reminded to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We're reminded that we are responsible to provide for our own family. With great privilege comes great responsibility. And it is a great privilege to be a father, to be entrusted with the two boys that God has given to me.

With that privilege comes great responsibility also. Next, in our prayer here, hallowed is thy what? Hallowed is thy name. What's the word hallowed mean? What means holy?

It means set apart from all else. God is not just a man. God is God. He is the creator of all. He is above all.

He is set apart from all of creation. For everything else is the created and he is the creator, okay? He is set apart from all others in his deity, in his person. He is also set apart in his morality, in his attributes. God is without what?

As Christ was without sin, okay? God is without sin. He does not sin. He does not violate his nature. He does not violate his word and his promises.

He does not violate his love. He does not violate his justice. He does not sin. He is without sin. Thus, Jesus came to Earth, the sinless son of God, became a man so that he could die for sinful men on the cross and only as a man could he take my what?

My place and only as the sinless son of God, could he pay my price on the cross of Calvary? Because he is without sin. He is holy, hallowed is his name. He is righteous in all of his dealings with mankind. The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever.

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. All of God's judgments. God always deals how? Righteously. Holy, honorably, rightly, with his creation.

He never deals as some people, some men deal with one another unrighteously. We lie, we cheat, We steal. We take advantage of others. We gossip behind their back to make us feel good and them look bad. God is not like that.

God is righteous. And that righteous God is my father and holy is his name. In Revelation fifteen three, puts it like this and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb saying, great and marvelous are thy works. Lord God almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints. Just and true.

He always is. He is a god. He is God. He does not make mistakes. He is honest in all his ways.

He never changes. He is faithful. And you can count on him. I would love to say with absolute certainty that you can always count on me. And sometimes men say that.

But I'm a sinner, saved by grace. But I'm still a man. Sometimes, I fail. But not my heavenly father. I can always count on him.

He will always hear my prayer. He will always act in my best interest. He will keep his word towards me. His love never fails. I can count on him and of course, as those of us that are fathers are here today, our children should be able to what?

Count on us. They should be able to count on us. Now, again, maybe not perfectly because we are not our father in heaven but it should be something that we are striving for and it should be something that is generally true in our lives. Our children should be able to count on us. Count on us to do the right thing.

The thing which honors God and the thing which helps them. Count on us to be the right example. To set before them. As our father in heaven sets the right example for us. Count on us to be there when they need us.

For he is always there. Waiting to hear from us when we need him. The same should be true of us who are fathers on this earth. Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.

He sets goals. He has plans. He sets goals. He has plans for this world and he has plans for who? He has plans for you.

He has plans for his children. Now, some of those plans he has made for this world, they're going to happen no matter what men do. God says ahead of time, this is going to happen, that's going to happen, that's going to happen. You can count on it. It's going to happen and there's nothing men can do to what?

To stop it or alter it or change it but God also has a will for who? For you. But that depends somewhat upon you. That depends somewhat upon you. Are you going to yield to his will?

Are you going to search for his will? Or are you going to just seek your own will? The Bible says there's a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. I pray that you will seek his will because your will absent his will doesn't end well, okay? God has a will and a plan for you.

Romans eight twenty nine, we learned that he saved us to conform us into the image of his son. In first Peter one, we're told that we are to be holy as he is holy in our moral capacity. We have learned that one day he's coming back to take all of his children home to the place he has prepared for us. His will is good and it is not past finding out And we are told to seek it and to do it. Romans twelve one and two, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service but be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In other words, seek God's will. Seek his heart. Read his word. Allow yourself to be transformed by his spirit and power more into the image of Christ that you may perform and fulfill his will for you, his perfect will, his good will on this Earth. He has a will for you.

How do you know what his will is? Well, most of it's found where? Right here. He's written it for you. Should I steal?

No, not his will. Should I kill? No, not his will. Should I lie? No, not his will.

Should I be unfaithful to in my relationships? No. Not his will. Okay? Should I tell others the good news of the gospel that they might be saved?

Yes. I know that's his will. Should I go to church? Yes. I know that's his will.

Should I be faithful to my family? Yes. I know that's his will. You see, most of it's written right in these pages here. What his will for you is and for me is.

There are some things like where you supposed to, what particular job you're supposed to take when you have two different job offers in two different places. You might not find a verse in here. It says, thou shalt take the job doing this at this place, okay? So, that requires something called what? Prayer that we're looking at right here.

Ask God to direct you, to show you and I believe honestly and sincerely, if you from your heart ask God, what is it you want me to do? He will direct you and when you get there, you'll be able to say, I know I did his will. There are times I haven't done that in my in my life and I've always regretted it. There's one time a vacuum cleaner salesman came to my house to tell me a cleaner and I didn't take time to ask God about the vacuum and I should have because I think God would've given me a little hint in my conscience that maybe I was being taken for a ride, okay? So, Joshua did that in the book of Joshua.

Some people came to Joshua from a place called Gibeon nearby. They dressed up as though they had traveled from hundreds of miles away when it was just over the next hill and Joshua said, okay, we'll make a treaty with you because you don't live here where we're supposed to cast everybody out. You live hundreds of miles away And he didn't ask who. He didn't ask God. So, guess what?

He didn't ask God. God didn't what? God didn't tell him because he didn't ask and then just a little bit later, he regretted not asking. And found out that he got taken. And it did cause Israel some problems down the road because of it.

So, ask him. He will show you his will. He has a will for you. He'll show you his will. Are you interested?

Are you searching? Are you living accordingly? Do you trust him? A lot of times, we know his will like the things written in the in the word of God but do you trust him? Do you trust him?

If you trust him, you'll do his will. If you trust you more than him, then you'll do your will. And again, that doesn't usually end up very well. Trust the Lord. Trust his will.

Lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Fathers, we do need to have goals for ourselves, our families, and our children. And particularly when they're young, we must communicate those and encourage our families, our children to reach them. Beginning with knowing, loving, and serving who?

God. The children of Israel were told to do that in Deuteronomy six. Fathers and parents were commanded to pass along the laws that God gave them to their what? Children and to their children's children, to their kids, and to their grandkids. And evidently, they didn't do a very good job.

For just a few generations later, there arose a generation in judges that knew not the Lord. Parents have a great responsibility to share the will of God with their children and to encourage them in the way the Lord would have them to go. Give us this day our what? Our daily bread. God is a provider.

He is a provider. Jehovah Jireh is his name. Genesis twenty two fourteen, it means the Lord who provides. He delights to give us our daily needs. He says, ask and it shall be given unto you.

Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be open to you. For you that ask and receive it, he that seeketh find it to him that knocketh it shall be open. He said, what of any of you, if your children ask for you for bread, do you give em a stone? No, you give em what?

Bread and you're not anywhere as good as your heavenly father. Do you not think that if you ask of him, he will what? Provide for you. That doesn't mean that you sit back and do nothing. He may provide you for a job so that you can go out and earn money to provide for you, okay?

But he will if you ask. He will provide. He will provide a way. He is like that. He's a provider.

Philippians four nineteen says, he shall apply supply all your needs according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. That's what Paul said to the church at Philippi. He owns the cattle on a a thousand hills. What does that mean? Well, that means he he owns everything.

He he he has an unlimited supply. It all belongs to him. Don't you think he can supply for you? Oh you of little faith. But seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

If you honor the Lord, if you seek first to please him with your life, you can be sure. Your heavenly father who cares for you is going to take care of you. Matthew six thirty one to 33, therefore, take no thoughts saying, what shall we eat? What shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of these things, but seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

He doesn't say you don't need him. He doesn't say don't seek them. He says, seek what? First, the kingdom of God. Seek God first.

Seek his will first. Seek Christ first. You do that first then everything else will take care of itself. It doesn't mean again, you don't have to work but God will provide God will take care of you if you put him first but now, if you put him last, then, he doesn't make that. He doesn't make that promise.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous. All these things shall be added unto you. He is a provider. He wants to provide for you. He provides for his children who love him are in service to him.

It is given to fathers also to provide love, security, knowledge, spiritual direction, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, particularly also for the physical needs of their families. First Timothy five eight, it says this, but if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. God, some somebody sits back and lets their family around them starve to death and does nothing about it. They are worse than an unbeliever. They have failed.

Particularly you fathers. Not that wife's assistance and mother's assistance is not necessary or appreciated. Sometimes, it isn't appreciated as it ought to be. I'm sure of that. But it ought to be.

And if you'll take time to read Proverbs 31, you'll see the virtuous woman and the virtuous wife who is one who helps her husband to provide and take care of their family, for it is a joint venture. But then we see this, forgive us of our what? Sins or our debts. Means the same thing in context. Forgive us of our sins.

As we forgive those who sin against us or as we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. We have a merciful savior. Otherwise, there would be no reason to ask for his forgiveness but we know that he is merciful. We know that he is forgiving. He has forgiven us who are his children.

Of our sins. He nailed them to his cross. He suffered and died for them that he might wipe them off the books of heaven so that one day before the great white throne, when they open the book called the lamb's book of life, our name will be in it and we won't stand judgement that day because that book will say, our name will be in the Lamb's Book of Life and the other books in which the others who know not Christ will be judged. In those books, our works, our deeds, will have been washed away. And there will be nothing to condemn us for.

For they are wiped away by the blood of who? Jesus Christ, our savior. And as we, his children, still fail him, we still need to confess our sins that we might draw close and have his blessing in our life. And we can be assured that each and every day, we serve a merciful savior. His mercies are new what?

Every morning, every day. He is a forgiving savior. It's a good thing he is. Else, we would be on our way to that lake of fire. Nehemiah nine thirty one, nevertheless, for thy great mercy's sake, thou doest, thou didst not utterly consume them nor forsake them for thou art a gracious and a merciful God.

Lamentations three twenty two and twenty three, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. So, when I go to the Lord and ask him to forgive my sins, I know that he will. Because he is a merciful savior.

He is a god of love and of compassion. He's patient with us. He's loving and tender with us. He's good and merciful towards us and we, earthly fathers and grandfathers must also learn mercy and compassion and kindness and patience with those who are our children and grandchildren also. That we might be good examples of our father which is in heaven.

Because people need mercy because they're sinners and they mess up. You do and they do too. Because they need patience because they got a long way to go and so do you. They need compassion and they need love because God created beings that need compassion and love and they need yours. We need to learn from our heavenly father.

How to be better fathers and grandfathers Lead us not into what? Temptation and God indeed does not lead us in temptation but he leads us instead in paths of what? Righteousness. He restoreth my soul. He deleted me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

What do you need to do then? If he's leading you in the paths of righteousness, you need to what? Follow. You need to follow. You need to trust him and follow.

Trust the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not into thine own understanding. All thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. He's directing you to follow him. Follow him.

Trust him. He'll lead you in paths of righteousness. He won't lead you into temptation. So, we pray lead me not in temptation. We're also praying God help me.

Help me to what? To follow you. And not me and not me. God is our guide. He leadeth me, oh blessed thought.

Oh words with heavenly comfort fraud. Wherever I, wherever I go, wherever I be, is by his hand. He leadeth me. Fathers should also be good leaders for their children in paths of what? Righteousness.

We should lead them. God has given us that privilege and responsibility to lead them to the Lord, to lead them to his word, to lead them in the way they ought to go. And deliver us from what? Evil. In our passage in Luke, that is where this example prayer ends.

Deliver us from evil. Our father in heaven is our deliverer. He is our savior. He is the only savior. He is the only way of deliverance.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me. He came to be your say. His name means that. It means Jehovah, Yahweh, the Lord is salvation.

The Lord saves. That's what his name means and that is what he came to do and that is what he does for his children. He delivers, delivers us from sin and hell. He gives us victory over sin in our life. He is a deliverer to those who trust in him.

He is the lifter up of our heads. When things are against us, when we don't know which way to turn, we have a hope, a certain hope. We have a savior and he is the lifter up. Of our head. He is the one who gives peace and assurance and direction.

When things in life are against us. We can lift our head up and we can move on forward in life. Because we have a god in heaven who is our deliverer. And our savior. Only God can deliver us from sin and hell and from our enemies and from our foolishness and from our trials.

Look to him. Trust in him. If you haven't trusted in him as savior and Lord and what he did for you on Calvary to save you from your sins, then you will bear the responsibility for that decision one day. When you stand before his judgement and you will be judged based on the things written in those books which will testify against you. But that can change today.

If you will accept him as Lord and savior. He will save you from your sins. He will deliver you from that judgment. And he delivers us who are his children each day. For many things as we learn to trust in him.

Fathers should also be deliverers in time of need for their children. To deliver them from injury and harm, from ignorance and foolishness, from sin and hell by directing them to Jesus Christ and their father in heaven. Which is able to save their soul. Fathers have wonderful privilege but with that privilege also comes great what? Responsibility.

How do we know how to be better fathers? Well, look to your what? Your father in heaven. How do we know how to be better mothers? Look to your what?

The example of your father in heaven. How do we know how to become, how to be better Christians? Look to the example of Jesus Christ, your Lord, and your father in heaven. And how do we know we're going to heaven? Well, put your faith in Jesus Christ who came to save you from your sins today.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for all that you've done for us. Thank you Lord that you are our deliverer and we trust in you to deliver us from that which we cannot deliver ourselves. Lord, I pray if there's one here that's still trying to get to heaven or still trying to find peace in life and happiness by their good works, by their own effort, and not looking to Jesus Christ to save their soul from sin and hell. I pray Lord today that they would consider what you did for them.

How that the God of heaven sent his son to die on the cross for their sins. To take upon himself their punishment and mine. So that we through faith in him that in receiving him as Lord and savior and receiving his gift of eternal life might be saved. Forever. Might be helped and assisted in giving peace and love From a god who will never leave us nor forsake us throughout this entire life.

Who might one day deliver us to our home. That he has prepared for us. Lord, I thank you for all of those things. I pray that you'd help me to be a better father than I am. I pray that you'd help us to be better parents and servants of Jesus Christ but most of all, I do pray that if there's one here today that's never trusted Jesus, that they might come as we give this hymn of invitation.

And might receive you today. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.