Have you ever wondered why we pray to God when He already knows what we’re going to say? Prayer is not telling God something He doesn’t already know, as some might think, but rather a reaching out in relationship to Him. Join Tony Evans as he shows you how developing a relationship with God as your heavenly Father can redefine your prayer life with Him.
where were you
if you would have been here she said
this thing wouldn’t happen
the blood of christ has given believers
a passport
to enter into a realm
that is closed to the general public
prayer is how you show your passport
god has given so much clout to prayer
that’s relationally driven to draw
heaven in the history that he will even
allow prayer to change his mind
the disciples never asked jesus to teach
them to preach
to teach them to do miracles the one
thing they did ask him is will you teach
us to pray
if you pursue a relationship and bring
your needs along with that
in your secret place
you will hear from god because god will
hear from you
ask and it will be given to you seek and
you will find knock and it will be open
to you don’t let things that god is
willing to change go unchanged because
we refuse to meet him in a private place
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now the lord’s prayer is divided into
a very simple flow
two halves if you will
the first half is concerned
with god
hallowed be thy name
thy kingdom come
thy will be done it’s about
thy or you
the second half is about us
our daily bread our trespasses lead us
not into temptation
so the first half is all about god the
second half is about you and then of
course he closes it with prayer about
god again
thine is the kingdom the power and the
glory for ever and ever amen so it’s
god us god
what leads jesus into this prayer from
verse eight
is his statement that god knows
our needs your father already knows
before you ask what you’re coming to him
to talk about so prayer is not an
informational session to inform god he
says i i already know what you want to
talk about i just want to know do you
want to talk to me about it
here is the key
just because god knows something doesn’t
mean he will act on it
he has knowledge of everything but some
things he will not act on
until there is relational communication
with him about it so his knowledge does
not equal his action
jesus says pray in this way
in verse 9.
pray like this
this is really not a prayer to be
repeated word for word
it is really a framework a guide
for praying
today we want to look at verse 9. for
verse 9 is pregnant with principles for
prayer
first of all
our
father
our
father
point
you are not an only child
it’s not just your daddy
it’s our father
but he is
father
he is
father let’s talk about that
you only have a father because you got
kids that’s what makes you a father
everybody who has accepted christ
john 1 12
has been made a son or a child or
daughter of god so
you have a father
so when you approach god in prayer he
wants you to approach him
relationally
not just
god
way up there
but daddy
up in here
he wants a relational communication
as a father first of all
he is father by position
because in the scripture the father was
the head of the home i am the god of
abraham isaac and jacob the breakdown of
the father god always did his covenants
through the father because the father
held the post
of responsibility
so if you are a man here
god holds you in ultimate place of
responsibility
for
your home by position
and for your children
maybe you didn’t know that but every man
here needs to know
in the bible it is the father’s
responsibility to raise the children not
the mother the job of the mother is to
help and fill in the gaps when the
father can’t be there because that is
your role so if the father doesn’t own
it you may be father by title but you’re
not father by position because you’re
not carrying out the rearing
responsibility that belongs ultimately
certainly with the help of the wife but
ultimately belongs in the hands of the
man the beautiful thing is if we start
with our heavenly father he takes
responsibility for all of his children
and for all of us who name the name of
jesus christ he owns that god owns that
because that’s what fathers do
in addition to that position of raising
the children his job is to provide god
told adam before he gave him a family
i’m going to make you a provider and i’m
going to provide for you so i’m going to
provide for you so that you can provide
for them because i’m your daddy i want
you to be their daddy in addition to the
position and the provider was the
protection he says you are to guard the
garden and if you guard the garden under
me i’m going to guard you i’ll guard you
while you guard the garden and you cover
the family so it was the god
fathering adam adam was to father the
family and adam was to get his clues of
father ring from god if you start with
your human father and your human father
wasn’t a father worth following and you
transfer that to god you have a bad
attitude toward god
because you had a bad situation with
your human father and so our heavenly
father has a position he is a provider
he is a protector and that’s who you
talk to when you pray
our
father
second thing you need to know is our
father
who art in heaven
translation our father who’s not on
earth
your father is a heavenly father
now
this is critical
because you and i live on earth
and on earth we operate by our five
senses
and we are limited by time and space
because we’re earthbound
let me tell you something about
your daddy
your daddy
is not subject to the limitations of
time and space
because your daddy’s house is in heaven
daniel 4 26 says
heaven rules over earth
so what you need to know when you pray
to your unseen father is that he’s very
much
operative
he’s in heaven
and heaven
overrules earth
so therefore
the limitations
of your earthly father
are not the limitations of your heavenly
father because your earthly father is as
bound to earth as you are but your
heavenly father is not
therefore if you put all of your marbles
on your earthly father with their
limitations
you’re going to miss out
on the
potency of your heavenly father who is
not subject to this world order i’m glad
to know
that earthly fathers don’t have the last
word
so if you were raised without a father
if you were raised with an abusive
father if you were raised with a
neglected father i want you to know
right now that that earthly father
doesn’t have the last say-so over your
life
over your recovery
over your stability over your provision
cause your daddy got a daddy
who is in heaven
that is he operates out of a whole
different
realm
now when jesus was on earth
he prayed to god as his father
every time jesus prayed he prayed
relationally
in fact
the only time that i’ve seen in
scripture
where jesus prayed and called his father
god was when he died on the cross
my god my god why hast thou forsaken me
every other time he calls him father the
reason he has to call him god on the
cross is he’s coveted with our sin
so there’s no fellowship with the father
so he got to have him way out there as
the transcendent god
but when he was walking on earth
he called him father this is why i love
john chapter 20 verse 17.
because john verse 20 chapter 20 verse
17
says
he tells his disciples i am going to my
father he’s getting ready to leave earth
and go to heaven i am going to my father
but then he says
and yours
oh wait amen
i’m not only going to my daddy
i’m going to your daddy too now why do
you need to know that
you need to know that because what jesus
was telling them that he’s telling us
is the same help that my daddy gave me
when i’m on earth now that i’m leaving
he makes available to you because you’re
as much of his kid as i am
the bible says that jesus christ is
seated on the right hand of the father
in heaven and guess what it says in
ephesians chapter 2 verse 6 we are
seated with him so the same
level of intimacy
based on god’s will
that he had with jesus he says he wants
to have with you if you relate to him as
daddy
our father
who is in heaven
who operates
out of that realm but i’m praying
because i need you in this realm
and then he comes to it here it is
hallow to be thy name
hallowed
be thy name
the greek word hollowed means to be
sacred
separated and unique
is to treat as one of a kind
it’s to treat a
special a class by itself
it’s from one of the cognates of the
word holy to be separate
unique special
daddy
there’s nobody like you
when you know the price god paid
for your salvation for your deliverance
it shouldn’t be a problem
hollowing
his name
that means to put it in a class by
itself
he’s not to be treated like just a
another deity or just another greater no
you are diminishing his name that’s why
the third commandment says
don’t take the name of the lord in vain
that means don’t not hollow his name
don’t treat his name as ordinary
the word vain means empty with no real
reason that they’re there you’re just
throwing it out and not recognizing the
significance of it
okay
i’ve said this before but to understand
this idea of hollowing
making it sacred treating it like it’s
like it’s unique
hollowed be your name
so that means we got to talk about his
name
now
the bible does not use names like we use
them
we use names because we like them we
name our kids maybe after somebody or
because we like the sound of that name
that’s how we do it but in the bible
typically names were tied to meanings
so kids were named by parents based on
the meaning of the word
well when god wanted to express himself
he does it through name including his
own
so the better you know his name now we
know the name god okay okay but that is
a generic
umbrella name okay
i want to break it down
break it down
in my book on the names of god
i have in the back listed 85
names in the old testament for god
85
names because those names have meaning
so when he says hollow be your name if
you don’t know his name you can’t hollow
him
to put it another way the better you
know his name the more you can hollow
him because you’ll have more information
on your daddy
so let’s go over god’s name
first of all is the name elohim
that’s the name in genesis 1. in the
beginning elohim god created the heavens
and the earth normally in the bible when
you see g.o.d
god
it typically is referring to elohim
that is the creator god now elohim is a
plural term eem is plural
l is strong one
the context of elohim in the beginning
god created the heaven and earth
discusses god as the creator god
this is his power name
so l or elohim is his power name he
creates with that name
now
you need to know that name because
you’re going to need power in your life
you’re going to need god to do something
so let me tell you a little bit about
elohim’s power
the bible says in hebrews chapter 11
verse 3
that god created
out of things which do not appear
we call it in theology ex nilo which
means out of nothing
so god made the heavens and earth
without having any raw material to work
with
he created
creation out of nothing
now your children are being lied to in
school
by being taught the evil doctrine and
religion of evolution because it is a
religion
the religion of evolution or what i call
fairy tales for adults
says that nothing produced everything
they even have this ignorant theory out
there called the big bang theory where
there’s an explosion bringing the
universe into existence well have you
ever seen a bomb explode something and
everything fall back down to be unified
blow up a building but all the bricks
are gonna fall back down and be in place
okay this is this is because men don’t
want to have to answer the god so they
got to come up with a theory that keeps
god out of the issue because they don’t
hollow his name
why do you need to know his name is
elohim
because you need to know
that god can do stuff without you
knowing
or seeing or having any idea of how he
gonna pull it off because he doesn’t
need raw materials to do what he’s going
to do
he can do what he’s going to do when you
don’t know how he’s going to do it
that’s why god had to tell mary when he
told mary you’re going to have a baby
even though you’re a virgin she says
that doesn’t make sense there’s no sperm
involved here there’s no man involved
here what you just said can’t happen the
angel looked at her and said you don’t
know his name
let me explain something nothing is
impossible with god he’s elohim he
doesn’t need raw material
if he plans to pull it off anyway
when you know your daddy
it’s so big
that he doesn’t have to have raw
material you don’t have to be able to
figure it out you don’t have to
understand how you’re going to hook it
up because your daddy is so big he can
bypass raw material to pull off answered
prayer that’s the daddy you want to talk
to
second name
foundational name
or yahweh
that is the name god gave himself
when you read your bible and you see
capital l
capital o capital r capital d that is
typically jehovah or yahweh
that is god’s relational name it’s his
covenant name it’s his connect with you
name
moses asked who shall i say sent me
he says you tell them i am that i am
that’s that’s the
tetragrammaton
the tetragrammaton is the four letters
these were four letters
and these four letters
consonants that’s why they had to add
vowels so that we could pronounce it
yahweh or jehovah
he said i am that i am
i’m not what you want me to be i am who
i am
i am a relational god you have to
understand
god that’s why he uses father is a
relational being so if you don’t want to
relate to jehovah you may not get the
benefit of elohim
see everybody wants elohim show me your
power but not a lot of folk want jehovah
give me the relationship
and god won’t give you
all the elohim if you don’t want none of
jehovah
you don’t want to spend time with him
you don’t want to get to know him you
don’t want to study him you don’t want
to learn him you don’t want to apply him
you don’t want to interact with him you
don’t want to include him but you want
the blessing you want the power you want
the deliverance
his name is jehovah when it comes to
relational expression of elohim that’s
why in genesis chapter 1 the only name
in genesis 1 is elohim because he’s
creating the stars and the moon and the
sun and
the animals he’s doing all that but in
chapter 2 verse 4 when he begins
creating people you don’t read
elohim anymore by itself you read
jehovah elohim or as you’ll see it in
the bible the lord god the lord god the
lord god why because man would see
elohim when he got connected with
jehovah so if you want to see more power
get closer to daddy because daddy is the
one who dispenses the elohim power of
god don’t have a long distance with god
and expect close-up deliverance close-up
blessing close-up fire closer protection
closer provision but you keep a long
distance from your daddy no he wants to
be jehovah then the third foundational
name is
adonai
adonai when you read your bible is
capital l
small o
small aura small d
capital l small o small r small d that
is typically adonai
adam now means your boss
your manager
your supervisor your owner the one in
charge of you that’s adonai
so elohim is his power
jehovah is his relationship
and
adonai
means that he’s in charge of you
so if you don’t want god telling you
what to do
don’t be calling on elohim and don’t be
thinking you getting close to your
jehovah
because he is in charge
he wants to call the
the greatest insult you can give to god
is when he clearly says something and
you tell him what you think
let god be true scripture says and let
every man
be a liar
so whenever you
your people
your mama
your daddy
your auntie
your uncle
your posse
disagrees with god
everybody wrong
because this name
has no imperfection associated
associated with it we think about
understanding it then applying it but
never determining it and the worst
insult a christian can give their father
is daddy you don’t know what you’re
talking about
that is not hollowing his name
just some of the key scriptures about
the name of god
some of the key scriptures that we need
to be aware of
he says for example in psalm 34 verse 1
and verse 3 we are to uh
magnify the name
he says in hebrews 13 verse 15
he says that you are to you are to give
thanks for god’s name
he says in ii timothy 2 19 he says when
you go public you ought to wear god’s
name
he says in psalm 8 verse 1 and verse 9
oh magnify the lord with me let us exalt
his name together he says in psalm 11
verse 9 awesome is his name and if his
name is awesome nobody else’s name is he
says awesome is his name
he says in psalm 29 verses 1 and 2
ascribe to the lord the glory of his
name
the bible says from the rising of the
sun
to the going down of the same may the
name of the lord be praised in proverbs
18 verse 10 he says the name of the lord
is a strong tower
and anyone who runs into it will find
safety so we’re not just talking about
nomenclature we’re talking about a name
above every name and guess what the
greatest name in the world is your daddy
the most powerful name in the world is
your heavenly father so you ought to
magnify the name that’s not just being
emotional that’s that that’s the
emotionalism is when you’re making a lot
of noise about nothing but true emotion
is when you’re making a big deal about
something
so when god does something in your life
because you’ve joined him in prayer then
you ought to hollow his name
and then all the combination names don’t
have to go into it but oh if you run out
of provision he’s jehovah jiren he’s the
lord who provides if you’re being
attacked he’s jehovah nesi the lord is
my banner who gives me victory if you’re
in turmoil he’s jehovah shalom because
he’s the god who brings peace if
somebody over you is treating you wrong
he’s el elyon the most high god that
means that whoever messed over you
doesn’t have the last say over you
because there’s somebody over there
if you’re going through a struggle and
you don’t have enough strength he’s el
shaddai he’s god almighty he can pull
the weight when you can’t pull it if
nobody knows what you’re going through
because you’re going through by yourself
he’s el raw he’s the god who sees and he
knows what you’re dealing with and we
can go on and on and on my whole point
is he’s got a name for your every
situation
but i know you won’t remember 85 names
and you may even forget the three names
but if you forget how to technically
call the name
just do what the old folks used to do
because they would say he’s a doctor in
a sick room he’s a lawyer in a courtroom
he’s a bomb in gilead when you’re sick
he’s the rose of sharon he’s the bright
and morning star if you can’t remember
the name
just describe the person
and then when you see him show up and
the power of hollowing his name as you
treat him as father do like the team
will do when the defense scores they
just go and they do that
they say give it up
give it up what they’re saying is i want
everybody
to join me in celebration of what just
happened when you discover the heavenly
father and what he can do you better not
keep it to yourself you better give it
up you better give it up you better give
it up you better give it up and give him
the glory
do his holy name
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i’m standing here at the cliff of moors
a beautiful scenic demonstration
of the power of god in creation
standing over the atlantic ocean
here at the western edge of europe
in ireland
you can see how great our god is
by seeing how powerful he is through the
things that he has made
the heavens and earth declare the glory
of god
that’s why we pray to him
because anybody this great and this good
deserves to be consulted with on every
area of life
and that’s why
we call him father
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you