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I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I trust you had a good night's rest, all of you. Right? Keep yourself warm, otherwise you'll get sick. It's very cold. And especially for our speaker and his family from Singapore, it will be extremely cold. But we have warm fellowship.
In our devotion studies, we will be considering Matthew chapter 6. I want to share with you about the Lord's Prayer. This is a passage that is commonly known as the Lord's Prayer.
Matthew chapter 6 verse 9, we read all the way to verse 13. Let's begin with verse 9.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9–13) Let us pray.
Father in heaven, we give thee thanks for the good night's rest that we are able to wake up early this morning to have our own quiet time with thee. And also to be able to fellowship around the table, and to start this day with a time of devotion.
As we come before thee to begin this day, we want to be taught by thy precious word. For we need instructions from thee. We need thy word to teach us how we ought to live our lives.
And for our devotional studies, we would like to consider what is commonly known as our Lord's Prayer. So, we ask that the Holy Spirit will help us to understand, and that thou grant me the words to speak in clarity, simplicity, yet with power and authority.
So, we commit this time into thy loving hands. For we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
As I have said, this is commonly known as the Lord's Prayer or our Lord's Prayer. But actually it should be said the disciples' prayers. And the reason why is because not that our Lord Jesus had to pray this prayer, but it is a prayer given by him, taught by him.
Why Jesus would not pray such a prayer is because, if you look at verse 12, it says there, "Forgive us our debts." In a similar passage in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11, Jesus also taught his disciples to pray, saying, "Forgive us our sins."
Our Lord Jesus is perfect. He is without sin. There's no sin that he needed to be forgiven. So, it is a prayer given to the disciples, that you and me, that we ought to pray.
A lot of people, they just simply recite this prayer or repeat this prayer. Like in our church, we do that every week. So there would be this section in our order of worship where you have the Lord's Prayer. Then everyone would just repeat.
Week after week, we repeat this prayer. Is it just meant to be repeated without understanding the context? Is it just to be repeated meaninglessly?
When I was very young, I was sent to a Catholic school. So in that school, we had to say the Lord's Prayer before the school starts. So we would just recite the Lord's Prayer.
And then when we commit anything wrong, sometimes the teacher would tell us to recite the Lord's Prayer 50 times, 100 times. Now, I don't mind doing that because it is the easiest punishment. So I just go and recite 50, 100 times.
I wasn't a believer then, so it meant nothing to me. I just repeat the Lord's Prayer by memory.
So a lot of people also, when it comes to the Lord's Prayer, or I said the disciples' prayers, they do not understand what it actually means and they just recite, they just repeat.
In the preceding verse, Jesus already said that when you pray, use not vain repetitions. So, he says, "Do not just repeat vainly, meaninglessly. You must pray with meaning." (Matthew 6:7)
So, here he's not teaching us to just pray meaninglessly, repeat without understanding, vainly. So, we must understand the context.
And Jesus began by saying in verse 9, "After this manner, therefore, pray ye" (Matthew 6:9). In other words, pray like this. Pray in this way, or pray along this line. It is like a pattern. And this is the pattern in which you ought to pray.
We always go to God in prayers with our needs. Whenever we are in need, we go to God as if he is like an ATM machine, and we just press the button, and then out comes the money. When we are in trouble, we go to God. Immediately, we pour out our troubles.
But here, if you notice, Jesus first, give glory to God. God first, and then comes our petitions, our needs. So, if you look at the six petitions in this whole passage, the first three petitions have to do with God. Then comes the other three petitions that have to do with us.
So, he began with thy name, thy will, or thy kingdom, thy will. And that pertains to God. So, God first. Then comes to our petitions. Give us, forgive us, lead us not. So, you see, God first, then comes to men's needs.
So, this is the pattern in which we ought to pray. Always God first, then us. Now, it does not mean that every one of our prayers will be in this pattern.
Sometimes when we get into a very serious accident, immediately we just cry out, "God, save me." When we are in pain, "God, deliver me." We would just cried out to God.
But, in a normal situation whereby we take time to pray, it is good for us to follow the pattern that Jesus has given to us in which we always consider God first, who he is, and everything about him, and then it comes to our needs, our interest, ourselves.
So, this should be the manner, therefore, pray ye, said our Lord Jesus.
And he began with "Our Father which art in heaven." (Matthew 6:9)
The Jews would not call God our Father. Though there were about 14 times in the Old Testament whereby God was known to be called father. But it is always in the context of the nation of Israel. Not individually or personally.
So, as a nation, yes, God was known to be the father. For he said that Israel was my firstborn. But for individual believers, they do not have this concept of calling God father.
But God is our father. If he's the father of the whole of Israel, he's also the father of every Israelite. Just as he's the father of all the believers.
So, in the New Testament, when Jesus called God my father, they were so offended. And they would say that Jesus was blasphemous because they did not have this concept of calling God my father.
But that is the truth. God is our father. And he is our father by virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is only through Jesus Christ, by faith we believe in him, that God becomes our father.
There are only two families in this world. The family that belongs to Adam, in which all men were born into. And the other is the family of God in which some are reborn through faith in Jesus Christ.
So, there's the family of God, there's the family of the devil. Jesus said of the Jews who did not believe in him, they thought that they were the children of God. And then they said, "Well, we were Abraham's descendants." And because they were Abraham's descendants, they thought that well, so by virtue of Abraham, we would be the children of God.
But Jesus said, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). You would believe in me. But you have rejected me.
In reality, they were the children of the devil.
So, only two families, only two groups of people, believers, unbelievers. Bound for heaven, bound for hell.
So, this was a reference to the believers because in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11, Jesus taught his disciples, his disciples who believe in him. Jesus taught them because they told him, "Teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples" (Luke 11:1). And then Jesus said to the disciples, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven" (Luke 11:2).
So, this is a prayer meant for the believers like you and me. And this is how we ought to pray. God is our heavenly Father.
All of you here have fathers. You know, it is so comforting to have our fathers protecting us, caring for us, meeting all our needs, always there for us. But our earthly fathers, they are limited in their resources and strength. They can only live for as long as God would allow them to live.
We have a heavenly Father who is all powerful, all knowing, and we are always in His presence. And He loves us more than our earthly fathers love us. Our Father, and His dwelling place is in heaven. And He is watching over every one of us.
So, we begin with this understanding that this is our heavenly Father who is almighty. And He is in heaven looking over all of us. "Our Father which art in heaven" (Matthew 6:9).
And then, Jesus went on to say, "Hallowed be thy name."
Hallowed means to set apart, to make holy, to consecrate, to sanctify. Now, God's name is holy, whether we acknowledge it or not. God is perfectly holy. But we are to honour, glorify, and praise His name.
All of us here have names. People call me Paul. Some people call me Chain. Some people call me by my Chinese name. So, I have several names. You may also have several names. And those names reflect who we are. It represents you or me.
For God, you cannot find a single name to represent him. Because names not only represents the person, it also reflects the person's character, attributes, and qualities.
So, when you think of the almighty God, and you try to find a name to give to him, there'll be no name on this earth that is able and sufficiently reflect the attributes and characteristics of God.
So, the Bible has many names in regards to God. He is known as Yahweh or Jehovah. Or in the Bible, you see the word Lord in capital letters. And that speaks of his self-existence. "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14). He's the Alpha and the Omega.
The Bible also used the word Elohim to speak about God. And that was used first in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God, Elohim, created the heaven and the earth." He was the one, the creator.
And then he was also known as the Adonai, which means Lord or master. He's the ultimate Lord. And we as his children must submit to him.
He is also known as Jehovah Jireh, our provider. Jehovah Rapha, our healer. Jehovah Shalom, our peace.
And then along with all these names, they are also his attributes. His attributes of truth, goodness, justice, love, and so forth.
So, there are many names and characteristics of God.
So, when we hallow his name, we praise his name, what it means is that when we look at the creation here, so beautiful, we say, "Hallowed be thy name." You are our creator. All these are created by you, including us.
When we pray for a job and we got the job, we say, "Hallowed be thy name. You are the provider, Jehovah Jireh."
When we are sick, lying on our sick beds, and then God heals us. We are delivered. We say, "God, you are our healer."
When we lose a loved one, we are very sad and bereaved. Then we cried out to God, and God gives us this comfort and peace. We also hallow His name. God, you are our peace. Jehovah Shalom.
So, there are many of these names of God that we have to always remember.
So, when we start our prayers, we look to God, our heavenly Father, and we say, "Hallowed be thy name." We direct our prayers to God by virtue of His Son. And we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, even in our prayers, we see the triune God all in action, all participating, all being involved. Our prayers are always directed to God the Father, and it is the Holy Spirit that helps us to pray.
If you go and read the book of Romans chapter 8, it says that God sent forth the Holy Spirit into our hearts that we may cry out, "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15). So, it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to call out Abba Father.
And then we always end our prayers with in Jesus' name, right? Because it is only in the name of Jesus that God would hear our prayers.
Because if you are a believer, it is by faith in his son you are saved by grace. And so you pray to your heavenly Father in the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells in you. And then it is in Jesus' name.
Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, God hears your prayers and he will answer. That is what is being taught by our Lord Jesus here.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9).
So you and I are to honour, glorify, and praise God for his name. But we are not to profane his name.
You know, today there are people who use God's name in vain. Sometimes, you know, they will say something and they will say that, well, I swear in God's name that this is true.
Jesus said, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5:37).
That means just speak the truth. You do not need to attach God's name to your truth. Your word is already true or should be true.
So, we as believers should never use God's name in vain. And worse still, if we tell a lie and then we attach God's name to it to make it sound truthful. But in reality, it is a lie. God forbids.
That is a way of profaning God's name.
Sometimes you hear people say things like, I don't know whether you have heard this. They say, "Gosh." or "Geez." Have you heard this? In reality, they are using God's name in vain. They are saying, "God." or "Jesus." But they just simply say, "Gosh." or "Geez."
Believers must never do that. God's name must never be profaned and used in vain. Because his name is to be hallowed. His name is to be honoured, glorified, especially in the lives of believers.
So, when we pray this prayer, or in our own quiet time when we pray, we begin with what Jesus taught us. We direct our prayers to our heavenly Father who is watching over us. And we glorify his name.
We think of who he is. And all the names that reflects his characters, his qualities, his attributes, we remember. And we say, "Praise your holy name."
So, this is the first lesson we want to learn. Remember this. Always begin with God first. And then comes to our needs. Not we first and then God. God first, then us.
So, we begin with, "Hallowed be thy name."
So, when we return back for our short morning's devotion, we will consider the other five petitions. Okay. Thy kingdom, thy will, then our needs. Give us, forgive us, and lead us not.
So, may the Lord help us to understand his precious word so that every week when you come to church, when you pray the Lord's prayer, it is not a vain repetition. You pray with this understanding. God first, then me.
God is glorified first, and then I will present my needs to God.
In your own quiet time, do the same thing.
"After this manner, therefore, pray ye."
May the Lord help us to apply all these truths into our lives.
Let us look to God in prayer.
Father in heaven, we give thee thanks for this opportunity for us to begin this brand new morning with a time of devotion. That we are able to study and understand the prayer that our Lord Jesus had taught his disciples, and that would include every one of us.
And we want to pray in this pattern, to pray along this line. Whether it be as a corporate body, the church, or in our own quiet time with thee.
So, we want to remember all these truths that our Lord Jesus has taught us. So, help us to consider them very carefully. And we will not want to just engage in vain repetition.
So, we want to commit the day's activities into thy loving hands, praying that thou will continue to teach us through thy servant, Reverend Dennis Quok.
And we commit also our lives that thou will protect and preserve and grant to us a blessed time of fellowship.
All this we give thee thanks and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.