And now about prayer…..

Matthew 6:5 – 18

Message # 2

 

Little Barry ended his evening prayer with these words: "And please, dear God, make Paris the capital of England! Amen." "Barry!" said his mother, "Why did you say such a thing?"  Barry explained: "Because that's what I wrote on my EXAM paper today!"

 

1.      Know God’s Position

 

a.       He is God.  We are not

                                                               i.      We need to understand this

                                                             ii.      He created life. We did not

                                                            iii.      He breathed His spirit INTO US – not the other way around

                                                           iv.      He sustains our environment – not us

                                                             v.      He directs our paths – not us His

                                                           vi.      He controls our eternity – not us

b.      He is Father – Head of the Family

                                                               i.      Some earthly dads have really messed our understanding of our heavenly Father up – BAD

                                                             ii.      God will never leave us

                                                            iii.      God will never forsake us.

1.      God will not find His work, His beer or His addictions more valuable that His family – God has no addictions,

2.      We are PRIMARY in His WORLD

                                                           iv.      God loves us COMPLETELY

c.       He is in Heaven – not here

                                                               i.      He is not here – He is not like mankind

d.      He is worthy of our honor

                                                               i.      Praise Him

1.      not another person

2.      not ourselves

3.      not a religion, industry, business

4.      not finances or promotions

                                                             ii.      Praise God!!

 

2.      Know God’s Desire

 

There are peculiar storms in the Indian Ocean... typhoons and monsoons. They re peculiar in that they do not move very rapidly. They do not move practically at all from east to west, or north to south; instead, they play around in a circle. F. W. Troy was told by a sea captain that before the navigators understood the characteristics of these storms, if they tried to come out of them, they foundered. "Now," he said, "when we run into a monsoon, we locate its center, and we go around it. By and by we narrow the circle. When we get into the center, we are in a dead calm." This is like God's will. Try to get out of it, and you will find it a destructive force. Get into it, and you are in a calm, and you find it is good, and acceptable, and perfect, as it is so graphically described by the Apostle Paul in the twelfth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. (Alliance Weekly)

 

a.       Once we know who God is we should feel led/compelled to know Him and to follow His Will for our lives.

b.      If we really understand who God is and what He means for our lives Knowing and doing the Will of God should become instinctive to us – obedience should be a natural response to Him.

c.       His Kingdom Come

d.      His Will be done

e.       Here, just as it is in Heaven

3.      Know God’s Provision

 

a.       Give us – gift of provision

b.      Daily Provision

c.       Knowing God helps us understand that our every provision comes from Him

                                                               i.      Toothpaste to Tires

                                                             ii.      Achievements to air

                                                            iii.      Money to movement of our beating heart

 

4.      Know God’s Forgiveness

 

a.       Forgive us

                                                               i.      We need forgiveness

                                                             ii.      All have sinned

                                                            iii.      None seek Him on our own

b.      As we forgive others

                                                               i.      Conditional

                                                             ii.      God loves us and expects us to love others

                                                            iii.      Do not let the conceit and pride of this world separate you from another person

                                                           iv.      Get over it!

 

5.      Know God’s Protection

 

a.       Protection from the world - temptations

b.      Protection from satan

c.       God is better protection than

                                                               i.      The Good Hand’s of Allstate

                                                             ii.      The Travelors Umbrella

                                                            iii.      Even Superman

d.      God has:

                                                               i.      All power

                                                             ii.      All knowledge

                                                            iii.      All wisdom

                                                           iv.      All vision

 

6.      Know God’s Power

 

How's your power source? Are you plugged in? In his book Spiritual Stamina, Stuart Briscoe tells the story of a man who bought a new computer. Bringing his new prize home, he carefully opened the box, gingerly took the machine out, studied its manual, and connected the wires. Eagerly he flipped on the power switch--but nothing happened. Puzzled, the man switched the computer off and rechecked all the connections. He rounded up a screwdriver and fastened the wires more securely. He read again the relevant portion of the manual. Satisfied that he'd followed directions, he flipped the computer on--and again nothing happened. As his anger rose the man's little girl walked into the room.   "Hi, Daddy!" her cheery voice rang out. "What a pretty computer! Can I plug it in?"

 

a.       His is the Kingdom (not ours)

b.      His is the power (not ours)

c.       His is the glory (not ours)

d.      Forever

 

Amen – “a solemn word by which a person confirms a statement, an oath, or a covenant”  (from Nelson's) 

 

In the early days of the automobile a man's Model-T Ford stalled in the middle of the road. He couldn't get it started no matter how hard he cranked nor how much he tried to advance the spark or adjust things under the hood. Just then a chauffeured limousine pulled up behind him, and a wiry, energetic man stepped out from the back seat and offered his assistance. After tinkering for a few moments the stranger said, "Now try it!" Immediately the engine leaped to life. The well-dressed individual then identified himself as Henry Ford. "I designed and built these cars," he said, "so I know what to do when something goes wrong." God, as our creator knows how to "fix" us when our lives are broken by sin.

 

The One who designed and built us is the One we need to talk to – and more importantly – LISTEN TO!