Rev Philip Burns continues this series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:12, ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’. By these words Jesus taught that asking for forgiveness is a sign that we belong to God’s Kingdom and extending forgiveness to others is a responsibility we have as members of God’s Kingdom. The two go hand in hand and cannot be separated. If we are unwilling to forgive the sins of others, then God is not willing to forgive our sins. He expects that His people will live in and also pass on His grace which is sufficient for each day.
Philip Burns
Rev Philip Burns is the minister of Bendigo Presbyterian Church.
‘A humble request’ (Matthew 6:11)
Rev Philip Burns continues this series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:11, ‘Give us today our daily bread’. By these words Jesus taught that while we need to pray for things that are God’s chief concern we are also encouraged to pray for our own daily needs and in doing so look beyond ourselves to the needs of others, remembering that all we enjoy is a gift of God’s grace.
‘An earnest plea’ (Matthew 6:10)
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‘A lofty appeal’ (Matthew 6:9b)
Rev Philip Burns continues the series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:9b, ‘Hallowed be Your name’. By these words Jesus taught that as we pray we must always remember to whom we are praying and that God’s name is great and worthy of praise and we need to remember that we have no right to come before Him apart from His grace. However if we pray this way, we will lay ourselves open to the charge of hypocrisy if we do not live in a way that honours God’s name. This comes first in Jesus’ prayer because it is a matter of the heart and reminds us that God’s concerns ought to come way ahead of our own.
‘An audacious claim’ (Matthew 6:9a)
Rev Philip Burns continues this series of sermons on ‘The Disciple’s Prayer’ by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:9a, ‘Our Father in heaven’. By these words Jesus taught that praying to God this way is only possible by God’s grace. It is not by our efforts or works that anyone belongs to God’s family, but only by this free gift. These words also imply that no-one comes to God alone and that there are others who because of the same grace, also call Him ‘Father’. It also aligns us to being his sons and daughters who do His will and live as His people in the world.
‘A gracious invitation’ (Matthew 6:5-8)
Philip Burns begins this series of sermons on prayer by highlighting the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:5-8. Prayer is to be approached with a sincere heart. It is not for outward show. We do not pray to impress others or God as if we are performing for Him. Jesus spoke of praying behind a ‘closed door’. Prayer is also to be approached with a confident assurance. We do not need big words in order to have an audience with God. Real prayer comes out of a relationship with the God who loves and welcomes His children into His presence.
‘A user’s guide to effective prayer’ (Luke 11:1-13)
Philip Burns preached from Luke 11:1-13 concerning the subject of prayer. Establishing and maintaining a strong prayer life is one of the hardest things to do. In these verses, the disciples observed Jesus praying and asked Him to teach them to pray. Jesus went on to teach them about priorities in prayer – putting God and His kingdom ahead of our own needs, persistence in prayer – reminding us that God is more willing to hear us than the man in the parable who was woken by his neighbour at night, and the Person we pray to – who knows what we need and is more than able to determine the best response to the requests we make.