Word of Salvation – Vol. 13 No.18 – April 1967

 

The Prerequisite Of Prayer

 

Sermon by Rev. G. I. Williamson on Matt.6:9a

Scripture Reading: Matt. 5:9-13

Psalter Hymnal: 122; 102; 117; 171

 

Beloved Congregation,

In a way it is strange that men have called this ‘the Lord’s Prayer,’ for it is really ‘the Disciples Prayer.’  Christ Himself could never have asked forgiveness for his own sins, because he was perfectly sinless.  The scripture tells us plainly that he was “tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.”  And it is only because he was without sin, that we ourselves can ever learn to pray this prayer.  For the Bible says that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  And “as many as received him,” says John, “to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  In order to say “our Father which art in heaven,” a man must first become a son of God.

Let us begin, then, by asking this question: Who are the sons of God who can pray this prayer that Jesus taught his disciples?

I.  OUR

It is commonly imagined that anyone can pray this prayer.  And, of course, anyone can repeat these words!  In fact, they often are ‘repeated’ in religious gatherings where members of various denominations are represented.  Yes, we even hear of cases where the Lord’s Prayer is used in gatherings in which representatives of entirely different religions take part.  Such a meeting recently took place in San Francisco.  It was called a Convocation of Religion for World Peace, and taking part were representatives of Hinduism, Buddhism, Greek Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Moslemism, Judaism, and Methodism.  To this convocation, Pope Paul sent a message in which he said that “the universal fatherhood of God… unites all people in a common brotherhood, as sons of the same heavenly Father.”  And then he said that “any hope of a better world in the future and a peace that will last beyond the day is futile, unless it can find sure footing on this fundamental truth of religion.”

Now this is simply to say that God is the father of all men simply because he is the creator and ruler of the world.  And indeed, the scripture itself says that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and again the scripture says that “in him we live, and move, and have our being” so that we can even be called – as the Apostle Paul says – “the offspring of God.”  It is also plainly taught in the scripture that whatever religion men may have in this world, it is yet the true and living God only with whom they will have to do on that last great day.  “For he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.”  “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”  So we do all have one creator.  He does make his sunshine and rain to fall upon the just and the unjust alike.  And he will one day judge the whole world in righteousness and truth.

But this does not mean that God is the father of all men, nor does it mean that all men are brothers!  In fact, there is no idea so contrary to the teaching of God’s infallible word, as the doctrine of ‘the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.’  And this is just as true under the false teaching of Modernism as it was under the faithful teaching of the Apostles and the Reformers.  Nor does it make any difference whether or not this false teaching is put forward in the very name of Christ.  The World Council of Churches recently held a conference in Mexico City to consider the work of Christian Missions.  At that conference it was decided that the Church today needs a new approach to missions.  They said that this new approach was needed, because it is now realized that all men are already redeemed in Christ.  They do not need missionaries to come and tell them that they are lost, so that they can be saved by Christ.  They only need missionaries who will tell them that they are already saved by Christ even in the religion they already have!

Well, I ask you!  What could possibly be further from the teaching of the scripture than this?  For the Bible says, “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  The Modernists of our day both Protestant and Roman Catholic – are working with all their might to teach men to leave out the first word of this prayer.  They are saying that we should not say “Our Father.”  They say that this is not fair to the adherents of other religions.  They say that it is a manifestation of false pride.  They say that we should simply say, “Father,” because God is not our father any more than he is their father.  But Jesus contradicts them.  To his own disciples he gave these words.  And the reason is clearly stated in Matthew 13:11, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”

The Lord’s Prayer can never be prayed by all men.  It can only be prayed by those who are the children of God.  And the plain teaching of scripture is, that God has already – long, long ago – divided the human race into those who are, and those who are not, his children.  “He hath chosen us in him,” says Paul, “before the foundation of the world…having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ…!”  Yes, amazing as it may seem, there are those who are the children of God by divine election, even before they come to realize that they are the children of God.  For a while, in their lost condition, they are no different from others – so far as they are aware.  For the Apostle Paul says, “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all…. even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”  Do you not see what a glorious thing this is?  They are lost, truly lost, just as others who are without God and without hope in the world.  They do not differ, says the Apostle.  And yet, God already has his heart set upon them.  He has already chosen them.  And it is for them that God sent forth his Son.  For he sent forth his son in order that they might receive the adoption of sons.  And because they are God’s children, chosen already in Christ, he has also sent forth his Spirit so that they might begin to cry ‘Abba, Father.’

That is why Jesus said that those who did receive Him received the power to do so from on high.  It is God alone who gives men the power to become the sons of God.  It is “not of blood.”  The Jews thought that it was, and so they said, “We have one Father, even God.”  But Jesus said, “If God were your Father, ye would love me.”  And since they did not love him, it was necessary for him to go on to say, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.”  Neither is it “of the will of the flesh” that men are the sons of God.  For the Bible clearly says that sinful human nature does not desire sonship with God.  When “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God” the Psalmist says that he found “everyone of them is gone back” and that “they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no not one.  And neither is it “of the will of man” that sinners become the children of God.  If it were possible for the will of a man to make a man a child of God, then Ishmael would have been a child of God, and so would Esau.  They both were children of believers who strongly desired that they might be saved.  But no matter who the man may be, and no matter how strong the desire may be, the will of man cannot make another man a child of the Lord.

For Jesus said that a man can become a child of God only when he is “born of God.”

II.  FATHER

Just as we must say that some men can never pray this prayer, because they are not the children of God, then, so must we also say that none can pray this prayer until they receive the Spirit of adoption by which they are enabled to cry ‘Abba, Father.’

(1)  The Apostle Paul asked this question: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher?  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  For, as Peter says, we must be “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”  In other words, before men can call upon God in this prayer, God himself must call them by the gospel of Christ and the power of the Spirit.  For the Bible says that we, “according to the power of God” are “called with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”  If you are one of the children of God, chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, then you can be sure that Christ will call you by His word and spirit into His Kingdom of peace.  Jesus himself said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine… they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”  For “he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out… and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.  And a stranger they will not follow.

(2)  And this mighty wonder takes place, when the Spirit of God makes the preaching of his word effectual in the hearts of God’s elect.  When Nicodemus came to Jesus, by night, he did not understand what Jesus was saying.  Christ spoke to him by means of earthly illustrations.  “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not,” said Jesus, “how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”  And so it is to this day.  Men may hear the gospel over and over again, and yet they do not hear the voice of the good shepherd calling them by name to come home to the Father.  They do not hear because they are dead in trespasses and sins.  They have not the power to become the sons of God.  So Jesus said, to Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  A man does not first see how desirable the Kingdom is and then decide to enter it in order to become a child of God.  No, it is the other way around.  A man must first be born again, so as to become a child of God, and then he can see and enter into the Kingdom.  And this happens when the almighty Spirit of God regenerates the heart of the sinner.  “For it is God which worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”  So it happens that one day the gospel ceases to be the word of a mere man, preaching with human words, and it becomes the word of God which effectually worketh in them that believe.  They hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear live.

(3)  For the first thing that they do is to begin to act like children.  Christ described it in his parable of the prodigal son.  He was, you will remember, a son all along.  But for a long time he did not realize it.  But one day he began to come to himself.  He remembered his father, and decided to return to him.  But he did not go back with a light and joyous heart because of any ‘universal fatherhood in which all men had a part!  He rather went back with a deeply repentant heart, knowing that he had ceased to have any right to claim the status of a son!  And whenever any man returns to the Father in heaven in that way – with a repentant and believing heart – he receives the same as the prodigal son received.

He is forgiven.  He is restored.  And he is made an heir of all that belongs to the Father’s house.  Or, to express it in Biblical terms, he is justified, and adopted at that very instant as the beloved son of the Father.

Or, to express the matter in terms of personal experience, true prayer begins with a consciousness that the unbeliever knows nothing of.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the father except by me.”  In order to begin the Lord’s Prayer, a sinner must know that he is lost.  That is why the Ten Commandments come before the Lord’s Prayer.  Even more, a sinner must discover what Christ has done in order to reconcile sinners to God.  A man who believes in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, does not have any idea of what he must know in order to pray the Lord’s prayer!  But when a man says, like the prodigal son “I am no more worthy to be called thy son,” and yet dares to come to God in the person and work of Christ, he can say, “Our Father which art in heaven.”

And you can see why such a man can never pray to anyone else!  When a man has discovered the things that are taught in the creed and in the commandments, he will surely understand that he can never come to God except by faith in Jesus Christ!  For there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved.  Only in the blood of Jesus is there forgiveness of sin, and restoration to the family of God.  All others are sinners too.  For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Neither can any others hear and answer prayer.  “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” says the Psalmist.  “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”  And so, the minute a child of God begins to pray with true prayer, he must be conscious of the fact that he stands on the same level with all others who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.  When a man turns from sin to put his faith in Christ, he stands upon the same rock as all other believers.  In fact, he becomes a member of the glorious body of Christ.  And in him there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Christ.  That is why the true believer must always say, “our Father,” and not simply “my father.”  Sometimes people imagine that they can live unto themselves as Christians.  They say that they can be ‘good Christians’ even if they have nothing to do with Christ’s Church which he purchased with his own blood.  But when they say this they demonstrate the fact that they do not have any understanding at all of true prayer.  For Christ does not save men by themselves alone.  He only saves them as a part of the great family of God.  And so the Spirit of Adoption, which enables a man to say, “Abba, Father” is the same Spirit which also makes a believer conscious of the fact that he belongs to the communion of the Saints, and the fellowship of the Redeemed.  “For everyone that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him,” says John.  A man cannot really say that God is his father unless he also says that other believers are his brothers.

III.  WHICH ART IN HEAVEN

But we must finally consider the fact that when the children of God pray unto him, they must do so according to the will of God.  For it is not enough to be able to say “Our Father..!” we must also remember to say “which art in heaven.”

The scripture plainly teaches us that the very children of God often pray amiss.  For James says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not” and “ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”  Evidently he was talking to true believers.  And he also said, “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God… but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with wind and tossed.”  So it is important that the children of God learn to pray according to the will of God.  For when they ask amiss, or with wavering and uncertain faith, they will not receive what they ask of him.  No doubt that is the reason why our Lord taught us to say, not only “our father,” but also “which art in heaven.”

Many people consider God to be a sort of heavenly Santa Claus, who exists only to bestow such gifts as his children may desire.  God, on this view, is not so much a father as a benevolent ‘grand-father’ who does not heave the heart to disappoint his ‘grand-children’.  Others speak quite easily of ‘the man up-stairs’, as if he were simply a man and as if he were no further away than someone up-stairs.  But the Lord teaches us, at the beginning of this prayer, that the same God who is our Father is nevertheless in heaven!  The Bible says, “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.  Be not be rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”  For “a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.”

Other people make virtually the same mistake, not by lowering God to the level of a merely human father, but by exalting themselves to the same level as Christ.  They say that Christ is equal with God, (and that is true).  They also say that we are the brothers and sisters of Christ, (which is also true.)  And so, they say, we must also be partakers of the divine nature, and can speak with God in the same intimate way as Christ does.  But that is where they go wrong.  For the Bible clearly teaches us that Christ is the only begotten son of God.  And that means that He alone is partaker of the divine nature which is of the same essence with the Father.  Christ alone is the Son who is equal in power and glory with the Father, and so he alone knows the father even as he himself is known of him.  Does not the Apostle tell us that he – Jesus Christ is “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting?”

And so true prayer begins, not only with the confidence that we are the children of God, and that God is close to us in Jesus Christ our Lord, but also that we are infinitely lower than he is because we are the adopted, rather than the begotten sons of God.  In other words, the true Spirit of prayer – the Spirit of adoption into the family of God through the mediation of Christ – does not decrease, but rather increase our reverence and awe of him!  Did not Solomon, the wise man say, “God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few?”  And did not Abraham himself say, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes… I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant?”  True prayer is clearly a mixture of the confidence of sonship, together with the enlarged reverence and awe for the one living and true God.

But let us not think that this is any detriment to effectual and fervent prayer.  For the very contrary is true.  It is precisely because our God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable – almighty in power, and perfect in all his ways – that we can pray with confidence and hope!  David said, “Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.  Thine O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honour come to thee, and thou reignest over all, and in thine hand is power and might, and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.  Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”

You see, true prayer is not only concerned to know that God will hear us, as his children, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.  It is also concerned to know that he is the one living and true God, who doeth his will in the armies of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay his hand.  “For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  We must believe that God is what the bible says he is, and that nothing is impossible to him.  For the great fault of so much prayer is that it does not rest upon a sufficiently exalted view of God.  When people pray to God as if he could not do the things that are desired, or as if he would not do the things that are right, it is really just no prayer at all.  But when we pray in the spirit of the Lord’s prayer, saying “Our Father which art in heaven,” it will have to be with unwavering faith that he is able to do far beyond anything that we can ask or even think.

When God is as near to us as a father through the mediation of Christ and yet as distant from us as heaven because he is God, and we are the mere creatures of his hand then can we pray with all holy boldness and find help in time of need.  “For this, says the Psalmist, “shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.”  As the metrical version of the Psalm says:
“All ye that fear Him and adore,
the Lord increase you more and more;
Both small and great who Him confess,
you and your children he will bless;
Yea, blest are ye of Him who made
the heaven, and earth’s foundations laid.”

Amen.