{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Sermon on the Mount Part 6","description":"Summary This is a sermon in a series on the Sermon on the Mount. Florence has reached the \u201cpeak\u201d (the central teaching) and will focus on the Lord\u2019s Prayer (Matthew 6:5\u201313). She begins with how not to pray (avoid performative \u201chypocritical\u201d public prayer; avoid mindless \u201cbabbling\u201d), then move into how to pray, unpacking the Lord\u2019s Prayer as a model with two dimensions: a vertical focus on God (God\u2019s name, kingdom, will) a horizontal focus on human needs (provision, forgiveness, spiritual protection) She notes these form a \u201ccross\u201d shape (vertical + horizontal), highlighting the cross as central to Christian faith. Key points 1) How not to pray (Matt. 6:5\u20138) Don\u2019t turn prayer into a performance aimed at being seen by others. Don\u2019t \u201cbabble\u201d \u2014 i.e., don\u2019t repeat words unthinkingly or incoherently; prayer should be conscious of who God is. 2) How to pray: the Lord\u2019s Prayer (Matt. 6:9\u201313) Vertical (God-centred) \u201cOur Father in heaven\u201d: God is intimate (\u201cFather\u201d through adoption in Christ) yet transcendent (\u201cin heaven\u201d \u2192 reverence and awe). \u201cHallowed be your name\u201d: asking that God\u2019s reputation\/holiness be honoured in the world and in our lives; motivation to live in a way that reflects the \u201cfamily likeness.\u201d \u201cYour kingdom come\u201d: God\u2019s reign has already begun (in Christ and in believers) and is still coming in fullness; praying for God\u2019s rule in personal life, the church, and the future new creation. \u201cYour will be done\u2026 on earth as in heaven\u201d: described as hard because humans resist surrender and control; the speaker argues trust grows by knowing God\u2019s unchanging character (loving, just, holy, etc.). The \u201con earth as in heaven\u201d line is presented as a bridge between vertical worship and horizontal needs; heaven\u2019s obedience is pictured as willing, immediate, uncomplaining\u2014an example for believers. Horizontal (needs-centred, but \u201cus\/our\u201d communal) The plural language (\u201cus\/our\/we\u201d) means the prayer is corporate, not just individual: we pray for one another and the wider church. 3) Three human needs in the prayer Physical provision: \u201cdaily bread\u201d explained historically (many were paid daily, buying food for the next day). It includes broader needs (shelter, clothing, work). Links to manna and to Jesus as the \u201cbread of life,\u201d urging daily dependence on Christ, not just material fullness. Relational\/forgiveness: \u201cforgive us\u2026 as we forgive\u201d is treated seriously (including v.14\u201315). Florence  clarifies salvation isn\u2019t earned by forgiving, but forgiveness of others is bound up with genuine repentance and receiving God\u2019s forgiveness. Forgiveness is framed as giving up the right to pay back, which frees the forgiver and moves them toward God. Spiritual protection: \u201clead us not into temptation\u201d is explained as asking God to help us remain steady in testing; God doesn\u2019t tempt to evil, but may allow tests, while the evil one tempts. The desired response in tests is to submit to God\u2019s sovereignty and commit the situation repeatedly to him (not \u201cone-and-done\u201d). Includes an illustration\/prayer attributed to Stuart Briscoe about weakness and asking deliverance from the evil one. ","author_name":"Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship","author_url":"http:\/\/www.aberdeencf.com","html":"