Beloved radio friends, we greet you in the ever-precious and the worthy name of our Savior, coming to you with joy in our hearts that we represent a person in heaven above who is the Father of all of his children who have believed upon the Savior. O my radio friends, we rejoice in the knowledge, God is the Father of every person who has put his trust or her trust in the Son of God, whom the Father sent into this world to redeem us. Oh, my beloved, if you do not know God as your Father, you need Him. And He who sent His only begotten Son to save you, would be delighted to forgive you your sins, to wash them away in the blood of Christ, to make you clean in His holy sight and justified by the blood of Jesus if you will but come to the Savior today. And that Savior will bring you in eternal relationship to the Father. But may we not ask the question as we continue our study regarding the privileges of the Father's children. Fellow believers, do you and I properly appreciate one of the greatest privileges that belong to us as the children of God. This is in addition to what we have already touched upon. And you may ask, what is this privilege that has been accorded to us since we have been brought into the family of God by His grace? First of all, let me permit me to say, I am very deeply conscious that this privilege that we shall consider is one we greatly fail to enjoy. and use as we are. And I readily confess this from my own heart. Now you may ask, what is this privilege? It is this. The privilege of praying to the Father. The privilege of prayer. It is in this manner, praying, we make known our needs and the desires of our hearts to the Father. For we, do we not have a Father? Whom we know, the Word of God declares, that his ear is open to our cry. How often the words of the Lord Jesus reminded his disciples of this? Such as in one occasion the Lord said to his disciples, and listen to the words, we quote them from John sixteen, verses twenty-three and twenty-four. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full. John sixteen, verse twenty-three and twenty-four. Who can comprehend this privilege of unburdening the heart and telling the Father of all our cares, pouring out before him our sorrows? and pouring them to one who perfectly understands and who loves us with an infinite love and matchless grace. My beloved, there's no limitation in this privilege. We can tell the Father everything that may trouble us. Behold him is so true. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs the bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer, to take every need, to name every difficulty, to tell him every sorrow, to tell him every heartache. All can be told out, frankly, freely, to the heart of the Father. The beloved Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians chapter four in verse six these precious words, Be careful or be anxious. For nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. Hold nothing back, says Paul, by the Spirit. Tell God everything. My beloved, we never will tell him too much. That is certain. For we have a God who delights to have our confidence and delights to hear our voice when we utter it in prayer to him. He may not always grant every petition, and this he does not promise to do. The one thing he does promise, he will give us his peace. For in Philippians chapter four, verse seven goes on to state, And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. But there is no limitation. My fellow believer, do you and I realize there's nothing small, there's nothing great. Whether great or whether small, too great or too small, everything can be brought to him. Now there are many people we would never bother about little things. But may we be reminded, our Father is a Father that is willing to listen to us about little things as well as great things. Yet when we can be sure that our petitions are according to his will, here are some words that can give us encouragement in praying. From the first epistle of John chapter five. Now I want you to carefully listen to these words in verse fourteen and fifteen. And this is indeed a stipulation, a condition of prayer. And this is the confidence that we have in him. if we ask anything according to his will he heareth us and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him now beloved let me be very careful and scriptural to make clear the indication there may be many things that we ask the father for we should not but he understands And you know one thing about God, someone once said, he always answers prayer. He either says yes to the petition or he says no. But there are certain things, which John certainly declares, if we know we're asking them according to his will, we know he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we desired of him. So if we are very careful in such cases like this, knowing that the Lord Himself will sanction this particular request, whatever it may be, He will give the authority of His own name to our prayer. And if we do not have the confidence that this is according to the will of God, whatever we ask, we should say, as said the Lord Jesus in praying to the Father in Gethsemane. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. But here's the lesson for us to learn. Do we make use of this privilege? Praying to the Father, God grant we will do this more and more. And may I quote the words that are found in Ephesians three twenty, listen to them. Our Father is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. May the Holy Spirit teach us to use the privilege of prayer and pray to the Father intelligently and believingly. But there's another privilege we'd like to mention before closing. It is the privilege of worship. For when we come into the Father's presence, it should not only be to express our petitions and our desires, but to give to him our praises and thanksgivings. If we have any conception of his love and of his grace, our hearts should be bowed down before him in worship, as well as in adoration. This is according to the will of the Father. When the Saviour spoke to the woman of Samaria at the well of Saikar in John four, he said, The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. for the Father seeketh such to worship him. For not only has the Father made as his children, and reconciled us to himself by the precious blood of his son, my fellow Christian, and made as his own, but as the Father of his children. His great heart longs for the worship. To be worshipped he desires, and he is worthy of it. We are not only to come before our God because of our needs, God forbid, but also to bring him the sacrifice of our praise, of our love, to honor and to worship him. In the days of Malachi, to his people the prophet wrote, God said through the prophet Malachi, If I be your father, where is my honor? Reverence and worship belonged to him because of the relationship. which he has as father to his children. Oh, my beloved Christian, all that you, together with me, we who claim to be children of the Father, let us examine our hearts on this matter. Do we spend more time asking God for our needs and pouring out our burdens and cares without giving him the praise, thanksgiving, and worship he deserves? Let us not forget that it is not only our privilege, to pray, to express our petitions before his great heart, but also a great responsibility and a great privilege to worship, expressing the heart's adoration to the Father for all that he has done, and will do, and is doing, and will do, and also to worship him for who he is, he is our Father. May we say with the poet, Father, we worship thee, our God. What rich, unfavorable grace on us in Christ has thou bestowed. Children of wrath, our natural place, but now ransomed and with Christ made one. Glories around them bounded, shine the fullness of our God. Certainly alone is the limit of grace divine. Oh, beloved, Do we worship the Father? Not only praying to him in the name of the Lord Jesus, but through that blessed person in his adorable name, worship our Father above. This will be one of our occupations in the eternal glory to come. But may I ask again, child of God, are you and I using this privilege of prayer and privilege of worship before the Father. To you that are not saved, oh, that these truths may make you hungry, anxious to know the Father. We present to you the Lord Jesus. He will bring you to the Father if you'll come through him, and do it today. Blessed Father, sanctify your none of these blessed truths to the blessing of thy people, And to the glory of thy name, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.