WHOSE FATHER IS HE?

In what is called "The Sermon on the Mount," Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus was NOT preaching to the vast multitudes who came from all over Israel to hear the One many were calling the Messiah.  In fact, He had deliberately separated Himself from the multitudes (Mt. 4:25-5:1).  And yet, He WAS preaching to the multitudes, in that, although He addressed His teaching directly to His disciples, He spoke loud enough for the entire multitude to hear (Mt. 7:28-29)!  What difference does it make?  A great deal of difference.  What He taught His disciples applied only to them; in order for His message to apply to those in the multitude, they would have to place their trust in Him!  My point is based upon the wording of "The Lord's Prayer" (His sample prayer - Mt. 6:9-13):  

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." 

To begin with, God is not the Father of everyone there.  He is the Father of Jesus (Mt. 3:17; 17:5; Jn. 3:16; Acts 3:26; Gal. 4:4; 1 Jn. 4:9-10; etc.).  He is the Father of all who receive Jesus as Lord (Jn. 1:11-12; Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 4:6-7; 1 Jn. 3:2; etc.).  Jesus described God as "OUR FATHER," which, by the very nature of the word, excludes others; that is, He is not "THEIR FATHER."  Jesus has laid the foundation upon which prayer is valid:  a Father/child relationship with Almighty God!

Jesus didn't claim God as His alone; and neither should we.  We are not to pray, "My Father," but "Our Father."  That means we are part of a family!  We do not have exclusive rights, but all born again believers are "siblings."  Therefore, when we pray, we should be praying for those things which will glorify God, meet the needs of all of God's children (not just mine), and be presented to God from His children, not just from His child (Mt. 18:19-20).  Notice the pronouns in the sample prayer:  "our," "us," and "we" appear a total of nine times!  We need to be in fellowship with other believers; we need to be serving God and His children somewhere (Heb. 10:24-25)!

He is ours, only if we are His!