An Unspeakable Prayer Is Spoken
We will focus on two issues: A) speak-able prayer as described by the Lord Jesus and B) the unspeakable prayer as presented by a “pastor” of the PCUSA (Matthew 6:5-13)
The Lord's Teaching on Prayer (Matthew 6:5-13)
5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues (churches) and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people (I would add, “in the pulpits!”). Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Most of our praying should be done privately, alone with the Lord in our homes as we prepare to study or when we are in contemplation about our families, jobs, and the world. It doesn’t have to be done on our knees or laying prostrate on our bellies in total humility. Why? you might ask. Because humility is a condition of the heart, not a position of the body.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Long prayers mean that you actually have nothing to say, but love the sound of your voice. Always remind yourself that prayers are words spoken to the Great I AM by a lowly sinner who has been saved by grace and grace alone; better known as the great I ain’t! Talking to the L
ord at any time is an undeserved privilege. As Gentiles, we need to improve our reputation. Keep your public prayers short and to the point; your private prayers can be as long as necessary.
The Lord’s Prayer
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
My Father, the God of all creation, before the foundation of the earth was laid, chose me to be one of his children, just like He chose Israel to be his one in a thousand nations. Our Father chose you and me to be His reflection of Jesus Christ to others. You and I can talk to Him whenever we have a need or want to do talk. He is OUR Father! He birthed us! Here are some things we can say to our Father: “I’m scared today, Lord!” “I’m tired!” "I haven’t been able to do everything I think You wanted me to do with my life, and I‘m sorry.” “This world stinks, Lord” (I think He’ll agree). “Father, I love you!” “Thank you for my family." "You never gave up on me when Satan was working me over.” By the way, I never call Him, Dad. I talk about this in the next paragraph.
Hallowed be Your name.
Hallowed or reverent is the name of God. The emphasis in this phrase is on the greatness of the name of God. There are more than 100 names given to identify the God of the Bible (see https://faithfoundedonfact.com/names-of-god-in-the-bible/). This is why I have never been able to call the Lord, “Dad” as a modern translation of “Abba Father” in Galatians suggests. I do not want to do anything that humanizes or diminishes the divinity of God. His grandeur, majesty, excellence, and superiority must never be reduced in any way. When it comes to prayer, He is NOT my friend; He is my Father; however, this does not mean that I come before Him in fear or afraid of him. But there always has to be a gentle loving sense of respect.
10 Your kingdom come.
Since this passage is directed to the Jewish people, the Lord is referring to the Post-Tribulation Millennial Kingdom; the thousand-year reign of Christ that was promised to Israel by all the major prophets and many of the minor prophets. I have asked the Lord if He would provide a role for me anywhere on the earth during this fascinating period of time, though being in Israel would be my first choice. Though the nation of Israel presently remains outside of God’s will, the nation remains faithful to the teaching of Israel’s return to their Messiah. He has them where He wants them while He works with the Church and sets the stage for the Great Tribulation. Are you praying for the Rapture of the Church, the Lord’s return, and the salvation of the Jewish Nation?
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Satan is going to lose; his children will be with him for all eternity. I think we should pray this from time to time simply to remind ourselves that God is in control no matter how dark things often seem to us. But honestly, when I take a serious look at the world’s leaders, I have no doubt that they are incapable of being the glue that would be strong enough to hold anything together for any significant time. If they weren’t so bloody dangerous, they’d be laughable. Contrarily, God’s will/vision produces an eternal peace and a life that will one day be free from sin, which is burden-less. Until then, may we be faithful each day as we await the return of the Lord Jesus. Also, be assured that the Lord’s will for each day is being accomplished. Satan is no more in charge of this world than fossil fuels control global warming.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Fact: People do not starve because the Earth cannot supply food to its "immense" population. People starve because human beings do not live in obedience to its Creator. If you remember the promises of God to the Israelites, prior to their entry to the Promised Land, you’ll remember that God clearly stated that the land would produce foods in abundance as long as Israel was faithful to Him. If they worshipped other gods, the land would reduce its yield and/or dry up (Dt. 8, please read this amazing chapter; 11:10-21; 28:1-14; chapters 29-30;). “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity, (30:15); I have set before you life and death, …, choose life that you may live” (30:19). In both the physical and spiritual world, obedience produces l
ife; disobedience produces eventual death. Food gives life in the physical world; Christ gives life in the spiritual world. Interestingly, in both realms (physical and spiritual), the food must be cut from the source of life to provide life for another.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
From a human perspective, a meaningful relationship is dependent upon forgiveness. If a person has never forgiven someone for harming him or her or has never received or been forgiven, the concept of forgiving or receiving forgiveness ranges from strange to being insulting. This is why some individuals find people of faith to be rather pathetic. However, without forgiveness, relationships can be destructive, are quite cold, and seldom last. With forgiveness, healing, communication, understanding, and oneness are often likely. What if this request for forgiveness happens to be with the Lord Jesus. In complete humility, I turn to the sinless One to ask His forgiveness for my sinfulness, that is, forgiveness for all the debts that I owe Him. I could try to pay them off myself, but I could never find enough of anything that Jehovah would take for the death of His Son. But Jehovah says to me, “I’ll take one thing from you if you reject the forgiveness My Son will give you through His death!” “What would that be, Lord?” I respond. “Your eternal soul separated from Me in the darkness of Gehenna!” On the other hand, I can receive the grace of God, given generously to me, by accepting the sacrifice of the Son of God, who did not have to die for my sins. I could simply say, “Thank you, my sins have condemned me to death; your love set me free to live free in grace and in the knowledge of the one and true God.” Having been forgiven, how could I not forgive others! Therefore, forgiveness continues throughout the Church—God continues a wholesome and spiritual relationship with us, His children, because we attempt or are willing to continue our relationships with others. (Keep this in mind—some Christians and many unbelievers don’t want your forgiveness. Let it go; leave them to the Lord!)
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Often temptation is of our own making in at least four ways. Firstly, we put ourselves in situations where we shouldn’t be, secondly, we watch things we shouldn’t watch, thirdly, we read things we know we shouldn’t read, and fourthly, we participate in events in which we should not participate. But these are things that we lead ourselves into. Here we are asking the Lord to keep us from temptation and the evil to which it would lead us.
Sometimes we get tested, as the Lord Jesus did in Matthew 4:1-11. In fact, this passage provides three clear ways that help believers stop temptation in its tracks.
1) Know the Word of God (Mt. 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). I am talking about a thorough knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments. The more you understand the lives of the children of Israel, the patriarchs, their kings, prophets, priests, and the 7 covenants (especially the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and the New Covenants), the better you will understand Yahweh and His plans for humankind through the ages and into the future.
2) Develop patience (Mt. 4:7; Exodus 17:2, 7; Dt. 6:16); to wait on the Lord is a virtue of immense value when building a lasting relationship with the Lord God. Impatience was an ever-present detriment to the spiritual and physical well-being of the nation of Israel. No matter how many miracles they witnessed from the hand of God, they complained when their needs were not immediately met. “We need water; where’s the bread?” Endurance is a virtue. Complaining (testing the Lord) was the attitude of the day, month; actually, for eleven months from Mt. Sanai to the border of the Promised Land. “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years” (Dt. 8:4).
3) Worship and Serve God alone (Mt. 4:10; Dt. 6:13; 10:20). To depend upon anything or anyone else is equated with the worship of Satan. We have a great triune God who created the heavens and the earth. There is nothing in nature that does not reflect the magnitude of the Great I Am. Everything that human beings create technologically points to the wonder of God, but only in detail. Our own solar system is more amazing than all the technology that has come from the human mind. There is no reason whatsoever for a Christian to lower his or her head before anyone. I am a child of God? How about you?
A person who knows the Word of God well develops a healthy dose of patience (endurance) and worships the only true and living God. He/She sees temptation fading in the rearview mirror. Temptation may always be back there somewhere, but if you are praying as Jesus has taught us to pray, temptation will never grasp a hold on you.
The New Teaching on Prayer from the PCUSA
Presbyterian Church United States of America
Below is a statement produced by a human being or human beings who are attempting to tell an almighty, independent, creator God who He is and what He will become in the twenty-first century. Since the completion of creation on the sixth day, God has held that human beings have been male and female, will marry and produce children. However, in the twenty-first century after the death and resurrection of Christ, the PCUSA has decided that God has changed His plan to accommodate secular thinking about the genders, marriage, sexuality, and gender.
God is now “flexible” and “affirming” to human desires. He has recently decided to follow a new rainbow. Yes, the Noahic Covenant is no longer a promise not to flood the entire earth again, as He once did because of humanity’s horrific sins. Today He is embracing the rainbow of the counter-culture to show His "love and affection" for the counter-culture. He is now embracing sex in ALL its "beauty and expression" in order to avoid any stereotype that might offend anyone. The Lord is especially protective of those who practice queer love. I am not sure why. I need some clarity. The Lord has apparently adjusted His values to meet the sexual leanings of the people in the 21st century.
It appears that the Great They/Them is now anything you want Him to be. He has many breasts and shatters all stereotypes. Whatever you want Him to be, He will become! He can be a “She,” a “They,” or “whatever makes you feel close to Me,” And He will “affirm” you “in your full identity.” At the end of this prayerful re-creation of the Lord, they graciously thank Him for letting them create Him in their own image. And now, this humanly created god is someone they can praise. Thankfully, they no longer have to be offended by the old bearded and narrowminded God of the Old and New Testaments of Holy Scripture. I'm sure that takes a lot of weight off their shoulders.
They have finally completed their tireless theological task of making God in their own image. He who was once divine and above all others is now just a dirty old man. I’ll say a few words after you read through this abomination. Pray before you read through this.
The PCUSA Presbyterian Pastor’s So-called Prayer[1]
WARNING: This is blasphemy! This type of heresy is why Jesus began to speak in parables to the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt. 13:12-15). Sadly, I sense that this prayer would not have been voiced by the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Oh God of Pronouns, we give praise to the Great One, the one who was identifiable as God.
“I am what I am,” You say.
The Great “They,” the incarnate “He” and “She,” the God of Trans-Being.
Impregnating Mary, fathering God.
Breast-feeding God of Many Breasts, You shatter all stereotypes, making every person male and female.
Male and female, intersex, nonbinary in Your image.
Exactly in your image.
God is flexible and affirmative:
Spectrum Rainbow God, who put your promise for non-violence in the symbol for queer love before humanity knew.
Because You knew.
Who had Joseph, who could not sleep with a woman in a beautiful woman’s cloak, perhaps of rainbow colors?
Before we know, You knew.
God of Pronouns, who said, “You can call me ‘He’ or ‘She’ of ‘They,’ whatever makes you feel closer to Me.”
Invisible and Visible God, on this day where visibility, celebration, belatedness, affirmation, and acceptance is (sic) the bare minimum, remind us that you are the God of Pronouns, so You affirm and celebrate them.
The minister beholds the “Great They/Them.”:
God of Saul. Paul, Simon, Jacob, and Abraham and Sarah, God of Joseph, of the coat of many colors, of the Ethiopian eunuch, of the virgin Mary, God of all Found Families in the Bible.
Remind us that You affirm us in our full identity—name, pronoun, found family, all of it.
For this, we give You thanks and praise to the Great I Am. The Great They/Them.
Thank You, God
After this, they all recited the Lord’s prayer! Can you imagine citing the Lord’s prayer after calling our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer, such despicable names; names by which He is never addressed in Scripture.
Conclusion
John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, if he could come down from heaven, would curse what has become of this strain of the Church. It has completely lost its love for God’s Word and for the Christ of that Word. I grew up in this denomination when I was a young boy. It was much different back then and went by a different name. Today, in 2022, it is, in my opinion, no longer Christian; it is a secular institution in Christian apparel that is more pleasing to the gods of this world than to the God who created it. They are the Hittites, Canaanites, and Amalekites of our time who embrace the lusts of this world. I call on the PCUSA to officially and publicly remove itself from the Christian movement. It is a religious institution, but it is no longer Christian. Nothing in this prayer is biblical and, therefore, nothing in this prayer is Christian. The PCUSA is free to believe what it wants, but it is not free to claim to be something that it no longer is.
[1] Conservativefoghter.co. Watch: Woke Christian Church Leads Prayer to the “God of Pronouns,” the Great “They/Them,” Who Breastfeeds.
Commenti