In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus calls us to be dependent upon God as our Father and Provider for our daily needs.
RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Sermon on the Mount Commentary by James Montgomery Boice; Pray Like This by Philip Graham Ryken
Prayer: Your Will Be Done
To authentically pray “your will be done,” we must deny ourselves and our own wills, submit to the authority and will of God, and place our faith in his character, power, and plan.
RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Sermon on the Mount Commentary by James Montgomery Boice; Pray Like This by Philip Graham Ryken
Prayer: Your Kingdom Come
One of the callings we have as citizens of the Kingdom of heaven is to pray and embody the petition found in the Lord’s Prayer—“your kingdom come.” The first word of the petition reveals to us that God is our great King in his power, authority, and presence. What we desire when praying this petition is for his Kingship to be made visible and submitted to. We can pray in this way as we pray for ourselves, our church, our great commission, and our Lord’s return.
RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Lord’s Prayer by JI Packer; The Gospel Commission by Michael Horton; When You Pray by Philip Ryken; Systematic Theology by John Frame
Prayer: Hallowed Be Your Name
What should be our greatest desire and joy is expressed in this petition that Jesus teaches us. And that petition is that God’s name would be treated with honor and reverence and joy.
Prayer: Being With Your Father
Before we need to know how to pray, we need to know our God and Father we’re praying to. By his grace, he sent his Son to share all that he is with us, including his Sonship. Therefore, we are adopted into God’s family and get to approach him in prayer as his children.
RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Alone Together by Sherry Turkle; Sermon on the Mount commentary by James Montgomery Boice; Praying the Lord’s Prayer by JI Packer; When You Pray by Philip Graham Ryken; A Praying Life by Paul Miller
Faithful Witnesses
After persecution in Jerusalem, the Gospel spreads out into the surrounding regions and bears fruit. As this is taking place, the Holy Spirit calls Phillip to depend on him, and to teach the Bible and declare the Gospel to an Ethiopian Eunuch.
RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus by Alan Thompson
ADVENT: A Child is Born
In Isaiah 9:6-7, we see that God is zealous to establish his kingdom of peace through this Child of promise.
RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Commentaries by Ortlund Jr, Calvin, and Motyer; The Hidden Christmas by Tim Keller; The Kingdom of God by John Bright; The Pastor As Public Theologian by Vanhoozer and Strachan.
ADVENT: Darkness into Light
The gloom of our spiritual darkness has been turned into joy by the light of our coming victorious King.
Resources: ESV Study Bible
Isaiah: The Crossway Classic Commentaries - John Calvin
The God who became Human: A biblical theology of incarnation - Graham A. Cole
Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ - Timothy Keller
Isaiah: God saves Sinners - Raymond C. Ortland Jr.
The Tenth Commandment
The tenth commandment addresses our hearts by forbidding coveting and requiring contentment, revealing our need for the New Covenant in Christ.
Resources used: ESV Study Bible; Exodus Commentary by Motyer; How Jesus Transforms the Ten Commandments by Ed Clowney; The Doctrine of the Christian Life by John Frame;
The Ninth Commandment
God calls us to be people who love the truth because he is truthful.
Resources: ESV Study Bible; Written In Stone by Ryken; Word’s From the Fire by Mohler; Exodus Commentary by Calvin; The Truth About God by Hauerwas
