Today is Reformation Sunday. In 1570 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of his church at Wittenberg. Those days people who stood for the gospel were burned at the stake. Others were martyred and burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English or other languages. We need to thank God for such men and women, who were willing to sacrifice their lives so we could have the Bible in our own language!
Matthew 6
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
The Lord Jesus taught His disciples that when they pray, they should start with these words “our Father”. He is also the Father of our Lord Jesus who came in the flesh. We who believe on Him are children of God. However we do not find Jesus referring to Himself as a child of God, but He referred to Himself as the Son of God or the Son of man. Mary was also told that she would bear a Son. It shows His uniqueness.
He taught us to pray, “our Father” and not “my Father”. When you become a child of God you cannot say, “I serve Him in my own way – you do your thing and I’ll do mine”. Such a person is on the wrong track. When we are born again we become part of God’s spiritual family. When Jesus’ mother and brothers wanted to speak to Him while He was preaching, He replied “who is my mother, and who are my brethren?”. Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “whosoever will do the will of My Father in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother”. The spiritual family is much more important than the physical blood family. If your child is not in the will of God, you are far apart from him, while another child who serves God, even not your blood-family, is much closer to you.
Some people are saved from anger, but still need to be saved from discrimination. They still see the skin colour. No! If a black boy is in Christ and my physical brother not, I’m much closer to him than my own brother.
Spurgeon came to know the Lord at a fairly young age. One day he overheard his mother praying, “Now Lord, if my children go on in their sins, it will not be from ignorance that they perish. My soul must bear swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold of Christ.” Spurgeon said the thought of his own mother’s bearing witness against him at the judgment seat of Christ pierced his conscience.
He resolved to seek salvation and attend church each Sunday. One day he entered a small Methodist church when he was trying to escape a snow storm. The preacher could not come, so one of the deacons took the sermon. He was a frail man, not eloquent, and preached a simple, short sermon from Isa 45:22, “Look to Me, and be saved”. He expounded the text and emphasised that we are to look to Christ to be saved. Our money or education cannot save us. We must look at Christ Jesus where He sweat great drops of blood in the garden. We need to look at Christ, where He bears our sins on the cross, and where His side is pierced. We must look at Christ as He is buried and rise again from the dead. We must look at Him and be saved. Look, look, look! He repeated it and eventually he came to the end of his sermon. Then he looked at Spurgeon, and said, “young man, you look miserable, and will live and die miserable, unless you look at Jesus and are saved”. Spurgeon said he didn’t get angry, but knew this was his day to meet with God. As the deacon expounded the text in this way, it was as though the sun broke through and the light shone in His heart and he saw Jesus hanging on the cross for him and he was born again. He was 15y old then and at the age of 19y he was the minister of a large congregation and hundreds of thousands came to listen to him and found Christ. We don’t know who that frail man was, but what a crown he wears in God’s kingdom! Spurgeon said as he was born again he felt like shouting and telling everyone.
Spurgeon’s eyes met the eyes of the Lord. Have your eyes met Jesus’ eyes?
Romans 8
15 … the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Abba is an Aramaic word adopted into the Greek. That’s the first word a child speaks. We find in this word that child-like fellowship when we speak with God. What fellowship do you have with God? Do you know Him this intimately?
Our Father includes all the children of God. As you draw closer to God, you draw closer to His children. If you claim to have fellowship with God but cannot get along with your spiritual brother you’re a liar. The devil loves such division. In Paul’s day many of the Corinthians were the same – a rotten company, who favoured certain Christian leaders and despised others. You cannot despise one member of your body. No, each member needs the other. If one member is sick, the whole body suffers. Remember how Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples to be one as He is with His Father.
Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another”. However, it is tragic if you are one with your children who are living in sin, yet far from God’s children. Then you’re spiritually dead. Many children of Christian parents do not get saved, though their parents pray for their salvation, because the parents sympathise with and excuse the sin of their children. Remember Spurgeon’s mother.
If you slander and criticize your brother behind his back and do not go to himself and sort it out you are sinning and living in sin.
When you pray, your relationship with your brothers and sisters must be right, otherwise your prayer won’t reach God.
Examine yourself to see where you stand.