Prayer's Address: Children Crying

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Galations 3,4; Lord's Day 46
Psalters: 376, 324, 278, 434
  1. The wonderful basis.
    1. “Father” conveys a most reassuring attitude about God in prayer.
    2. Notice that the blessing of the Spirit is for those who are already sons (Gal. 4:6).
      1. We do not become sons because God sent the Spirit, but He sent the Spirit because we are already sons.
      2. Sonship is accomplished according to election and through the blood and merit of Christ on the cross.
    3. The reason why we may and can call God “Father” is because the Son’s Spirit is in us (6).
      1. The Spirit dwelling in us is the Spirit of God’s Son.
      2. This is the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8;15), Who makes us actual children of God.
  2. The reality of the relationship.
    1. This relationship of Father/child implies four things.
      1. The children have rights, we have the right to His attention, affection, and riches.
      2. The children have His likeness.
      3. The children have an assurance of His love as we are His in Christ to supply all our need (Phil. 4:19).
      4. The children are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ of His inheritance (Rom. 8:17).
    2. The intimacy of our relationship to God is balanced by the knowledge that our Father is “in heaven.”
      1. This expression does not indicate God’s location, but His unspeakable and unlimited glory.
      2. Our God is above all the earth and earthly.
  3. This beautiful name has wonderful implications for us.
    1. We can trust Him to care for and protect us.
    2. As His children we can speak to Him directly, without the anyone else mediating.
    3. Jesus teaches us to pray conscious that we are a part of a whole: “our.”
    4. Because God is our Father we may and ought to love Him.