A pattern for prayer

A pattern for prayer
Jonah 2

Intro…"Life is work, play and prayer. Prayer, once you get past the crying, asking and begging... is listening." Jock Southerland
• Prayer is an important part of our lives…even for those who don’t pray… “Man, I really hope this works out…”
• This Bible gives us some great examples of what the pattern should be for our prayer life.
• Today we’ll look at the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, the 23rd Psalm and Jonah 2.

Big Pic: Prayer is all of who we are and is an elevation of the soul that can dispense with speech.

Text: Jonah 2

The Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 (read together)
Hallowed be your name.
• (Holy, consecrated, sacred, revered) Giving God his due, his rightful place.

Your kingdom come, your will be done.
• Trusting God for his outcome

Give us this day, our daily bread.
• Asking God for the basics, after we’ve revered him and trusting him for the outcome.
• We usually get this backwards… ”God I need ___________!”

Forgive us our debts…
• Asking God to forgive us as we learn to forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation…
• Keep us out of Satan’s path.

The 23rd Psalm (read together)
• (actually a song, sung or quoted in times of need)
• This song/prayer is a reminder of God’s goodness and provision.
1-2 God is our shepherd, leading, guiding providing, “green pastures and quiet waters.”
3 He will restores our souls and lead us in the paths of righteousness…if we let him.
4 We know that the hard times will come, yet God is with us.
5 God provides all we need.
6 As we continue to trust God, goodness, love and mercy will follow us

Back to our prayer for today, Jonah 2 (there is good theology in this prayer)
2 In our distress we want to call out to God, not doubt his presence
3 Recognizing God’s involvement in this process of learning. Yes, God can hurl us wherever he wants to. “Your waves and breakers swept over me.”
4 At times we feel like we’ve been banished from God’s site because of our sin, yet that’s exactly when we need to look towards him.
5 The engulfing waters of life do often feel threatening. At times it does feel like we’re sinking to the roots of the mountains, barred in forever.
6-7 When we can recognize our helpless state and call on God, that’s when we get rescued. “You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.”
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
9 Instead, with a song of thanksgiving, a sacrifice to God, making good on your vows to God…salvation comes from the Lord.

And finally Jonah’s ordeal inside the big fish ends…v. 10

What to learn from these prayers?
• It’s not about us, it’s about listening and trusting God.
• Prayer is about spilling your guts before God, being honest.
• There is so much more to recognize than our need.
• God is to be revered, we want his will to be done, he will supply our basic needs, we need forgiveness.
• God is our shepherd leading and guiding every step of the way, through all of life’s journeys.

When we pray, remember:
The love of God that wants the best for us
The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.
The power of God that can accomplish it.
William Barclay

The ideal prayer is asking for God’s will to be done. “Oh God, please show me your plan…”

Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting.

Conclusion:
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. C.S. Lewis

Summer fun

We are officially breaking all the rules that came with this pool. And yes, that's me throwing my four year old into the pool from the roof. I wanted to make sure he made it all the way in, safety first!

Wresting with God, Jonah 1:1-3

Wrestling with God, a study of Jonah

Intro…Jonah and the “whale” What thoughts go through your mind when you hear this story?
• It is a fantastic story, one that takes faith to believe.
• Today I’m going to introduce this book/story of the bible
• I’m going to call this study of Jonah, “Wrestling with God, a study of Jonah.”
• I believe there is some of Jonah in all of us.
• We tend to run from God at different times in our lives.
• Jonah ran from God, was saved by God, and then got angry at God, a pattern many of us tend to repeat over and over…
• I believe there are lots of great life lessons in this OT book.
• The bigger picture in this story of Jonah is God’s love for all people, even those people we despise and don’t want to be around.

Text: Jonah 1:1-2 Prayer
Big Picture: When God tells us things we don’t want to hear, we need to fight the urge to run from Him.

Intro to the book (good stuff to know)
• It’s tempting to look at this story as an allegory (a symbolic representation) because it’s so crazy.
• …that this book was written about 430 B.C. to counter the exclusivism of Ezra and Nehemiah…
• In this view, Jonah represents disobedient Israel; the sea represents the Gentiles, the great fish, Babylon; and the three days in the fish’s belly, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews.

HOWEVER…according to 2 Kings 14:23-25, Jonah was not only a real person, but an accredited prophet from a town near Nazareth.
• During the reign of Adad-nirari III, there was a swing towards monotheism, which may have been a result of Jonah’s preaching.
• The plague of 765, the eclipse of the sun in 763 and a second plague in 759 were events regarded as evidence of divine judgment and could have prepared the people to receive Jonah’s message.
• The story of Jonah is one big miracle, a story of God’s calling, man’s running, God’s provision and man’s rebellion/complaining/anger.
• It’s a pattern we’ve seen repeated throughout history.
• This book was written about 760 B.C.

Jesus mentions Jonah in Matthew 12:38-41, 16:4, Luke 11:29-32

Jonah was a proud, self-centered egotist, willful, pouting, jealous, a good patriot and lover of Israel, but without proper respect for God or love for his enemies (the Assyrians in Nineveh).
• He’s the kind of guy who needed a big wake-up call from God and got one in this fantastic story.
• God asked Jonah to take the gospel to his worst enemies and his initial reaction was to flee.

The purpose of this book is primarily to teach us that God’s gracious purposes are not limited to Israel, but extended to the Gentile world.
• Jonah was prejudice towards the Ninevites (he favored his own people, the Israelites).
• He balked at God when God asked him to love these “heathen” Assyrians.
• Nineveh was a large important city in Assyria and posed a grave military threat to tiny Israel.
• Why did Jonah hate the Ninevites in Assyria?
• The book of Nahum gives us a clue. It describes the Ninevites as a ruthless and bloodthirsty people.
• The Assyrians themselves left monuments to their cruelty, long, boastful inscriptions describing their torture and slaughter of people who opposed them.
• The Israelites had reasons to fear and hate Nineveh…but God love Nineveh.
• He wanted to save the city, not destroy it. He knew it was ripe for change.
• God had a great love for the Ninevites, as he does for all people on the planet.
• The ready response of the Ninevites shows that “heathens” are capable of genuine repentance.
• Even through Jonah’s weak preaching, the people of Nineveh responded to God’s call and were spared.
• In the end, God confronts Jonah about his self-centered values and lack of compassion: 4:11…
• I know it’s a crazy story that is hard to believe…(esp. the whale part)
• but to discredit it does not do justice to the fact that Jesus held to its historicity….
• and that our God is capable of pulling something off as big as this.

So, getting back to our text: Jonah 1:1-2
• When we run from God, we are running from his greater purposes which we can’t always see.
• God always has a bigger plan than our limited view offers.
• God will do whatever it takes to get our attention.
• The bigger story in Jonah is about obeying God and loving our enemies.
• God loves every single person on this planet regardless of race.
• The story of Jonah is the story of God’s profound mercy and grace for us humans that tend to run away and disobey Him.
• This is the story of God’s love and compassion and that no one is beyond redemption.
• The gospel is for all who repent and believe.
• God is asking you and I to pray for those we don’t like, people we don’t want to talk to.

Wrestling with God, Jonah 1:4-11

Wrestling with God, a study of Jonah
Jonah 1: 4-11

Intro…Friday’s wedding…told Groom to be a leader, bride cries…
• Why it’s so devastating when our spiritual leaders fall…
• How our running from God can affect others…those close to us, in our family, even strangers in Jonah’s case.
• Jonah was called by God for a specific task…
• He ran from God and it affected others.
• We are all called by God for specific tasks too…

Big Picture: Jonah’s disobedience to God endangered the lives of the ship’s crew. Our sin and disobedience can affect others too.

Text: Jonah 1: 4-11

How God gets our attention
• v. 4 The Lord sent a great wind…a violent storm.
• Jonah’s flight to Tarshish (the opposite direction of Nineveh) marked the beginning of a serious theological argument with God.
• God had clearly commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against the wickedness there.
• Jonah may have believed that God could save the archenemy of the Israelites, but deep down, he couldn’t fully agree.
• God is sovereign, in control of life, nature and circumstances.
• God will use whatever he needs to in order to get our attention.
• If we don’t listen to God, we may end up taking others down with us (initially).


v. 5 The sailors reacted in typical human fashion, the each cried out to their own god.
• What are some of the “gods” people cry out today before they find the one true God? (things that offer security)
• These poor sailors weren’t looking for trouble. They had set out for a routine trip.
• Yet their lives were imminently threatened. These were sailors, used to storms and even they were afraid.
• Although they may have initially turned to their gods, they eventually turned to the one true God (1:16).
• This is a great example of how God can turn our mistakes into good. God used Jonah on that boat to bring those sailors to him.
• This story reminds us that in spite of our sinfulness and disobedience to God, God still brings people to himself.
• God doesn’t need us to save people, however when we are not sinful and obedient, sometimes we have the privilege of being part of the process when someone comes to Jesus.

v. 5 Jonah is in denial, sleeping below deck.
• Even as he ran from God, apparently his actions didn’t bother his conscience. (this is a dangerous place to be)
• The absence of guilt is not a good indicator as to whether we are doing right or wrong.
• Because we can so easily deny reality, we cannot measure obedience by our feelings. (the train diagram)
• Jonah evidently doesn’t even realize the effect his disobedience to God is having on others.
• Sin is a selfish act and when we are selfish, we aren’t thinking of others.

v. 7 God orchestrates Jonah’s next move.
• Lots were cast, they fell on Jonah.
• Casting lots was a common form of divination used by pagans and Hebrews alike.
• They would mix small stones in a container and then pull one out. (Lev. 16:8, Joshua 18:6, 1 Sam. 14:42, Neh. 10:34, Acts 1:23-26)
• The crew thought they were relying on chance and superstition to give them the answer. In reality, God directly intervened.
• “Coincidences’ are situations in which God chose to remain anonymous.”
• God is always working his ways even when we are messing up.
Jonah finally fesses up as to his real identity and invites God into the situation.
• “I am a “Hebrew,” the name Israelites used among Gentiles.
• These sailors were most likely from Phoenicia, the center of Baal worship.
• The title “Hebrew” bears significant weight, especially when coupled with the phrase, “He who made the sea and dry land.”
• Since these pagan sailors didn’t have scripture, this was an appropriate identification for Jonah.
• This terrifying storm led these Sailors to recognize that there had to be a creator. Rom. 1:18-20
• Beginning with creation is a always a good starting point when talking to skeptics….”OK, how did we all get here?”
• That is such a wise move for Jonah and all of us. We need to come back to what we know is right.
• v. 10 They were terrified at his answer because they now recognized exactly what they were dealing with.

Today is a wake-up call for all of us. We may think our sinful habits are only between ourselves and God, but in reality, those sins affect many more people than we realize.

So even though Jonah tried to mess up God’s plan, God used him to bring the other sailors to Himself.
Jonah and the Sailors
Jonah
He was a Hebrew with a rich history of God’s faithfulness
Sailors
They were gentiles with no history of God
Jonah
He was monotheistic, believing in the one true God
Sailors
They were polytheistic, worshipping many false gods.
Jonah
He was rightly related to the true God
Sailors
They had no relationship with the true God
Jonah
He was spiritually insensitive, running in the wrong direction from God
Sailors
They were spiritually sensitive, moving in the right direction toward God.
Jonah
He was indifferent towards God’s will in spite of knowing Him.
Sailors
They were concerned before God in spite of little or no knowledge of Him.
Jonah
He was uncompassionate towards Nineveh.
Sailors
They were compassionate towards Jonah
Jonah
He was rebellious and therefore disciple, but not destroyed.
Sailors
They were brought to worship and commitment.
(Nelson’s complete book of the Bible, 1993 Thomas Nelson)

Conclusion: Lives ruined by disobedience to God

Christian maturity equals bible knowledge plus service.

The externally focused church, part 3

Intro…VIDEO of laughing baby...Arielle and Chrystal…Vinnie, Savannah… we all know how they need to grow...
• But with children and adults, growing spiritually (or spiritual formation) is a different matter.
• “Good bible teaching alone is not sufficient for spiritual maturity.” (A true, and freeing statement for me…)

Text: Eph. 2:8-10 Prayer

It’s cute seeing a mom breastfeed her baby, but gets a little creepy/weird when the kid is 4, 5, 6.
• Matt. 4:4, “Man does not live on bread alone…
• Heb. 5:14, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

My hope in this series on service is that we will all mature in our faith
through serving others, as well as time in the word etc.
• Unfortunately, most people don’t get too excited about spiritual disciplines.
• Getting people involved in service is much easier than activities specifically designed to deepen their faith, so that is a good starting point.
• Often when someone is first involved in service, they’ll come back with questions like, “Can you teach me how to pray, understand the bible, share my faith.
• Why? Because they now see a practical need for knowing all that stuff. They want to be equipped next time they go out to serve to do more than just “random acts of kindness.”
• Really, there is no reason a person brand new to our church, yet still interested in checking out “the whole God-thing” can’t serve side by side with us in the community from day one.

• “Discipleship is not what happens inside the four walls of the church. The biggest factor in a church’s retaining people is not personal follow up or joining a small group; it is being involved from the very beginning in service to others in the community.” Erwin McMannus

Let’s put some practical legs on this concept:
1. Rediscover what the bible says about good works and good deeds.
• In preaching a series on service to others, you have to be careful not to preach a social gospel…
• Our verses today make two good distinctions: We are not saved by our works, and we are created in Christ to do good works.
• Gotta have that balance.
• All three verses are important, not just v. 8-9

What’s the difference between bodybuilding and weight training for athletes? The bodybuilders are really just posers….the athletes are putting those muscles to good use….
• Same thing with only coming to church, bible studies, small groups, seminary etc. etc. You’ll end up a poser. Put all the training to practical, good use!

2. Broaden the definition of ministry.
• Typically the mindset is “Oh, that’s something the paid professionals do.” Guess what, I’ll never be as effective in the lives of your friends as you will!
• What I’m asking us to do this morning is to redefine ministry. We usually define it too narrowly. Let’s try this: “ Ministry is meeting another persons needs with the resources God has given to you.”
• “As a church we are not doing our people any favors by letting them just attend church every week, living with the illusion that they are growing. They may be learning, but they are not growing.” Eric Swanson

3. “Ministry to others” should be a given in the core beliefs of our church.
• Let’s set the bar high and determine that every person in our church will serve others in some capacity.
• Here’s the goal. On any given Sunday we should be able to randomly ask people to share great stories of how they served someone this week.
• What a joy to be able to see lives changes, ours mostly!
• (Homework assignment)….Any examples today?

Conclusion:
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas...happy ending because, in the end, his heart “grew three sizes that day.”
• Jesus will enlarge our hearts if we let him.

The importance of the "neutral zone."

The externally focused church, part 3
John 4:4-42

Intro…”Bowling alone” and the front porch concept…
• Today I’d like to challenge us to find those common areas, the neutral turf where we meet people.

Text: John 4:4-42 Jesus and the woman at the well
Prayer

Why is service at a neutral site so powerful?
• As a church when we are involved in community transformation, the avenue lies at the intersection of the needs and dreams of the city or community, the mandates and desires of God, and the calling and capacity of the church.
• We can see this illustrated through a 3 circles illustration.

Needs and dreams of a city: How do we find out?….
• Ask ‘em, SOS, Hunger, mentoring, schools, homeless, military
• John 4:7, “Will you give me a drink?”

Mandates and desires of God: What would these be?…
• Look to the bible, Ps. 127:1, Jer. 33:6 & 9
• John 4:9 Interacting with the “despised” people…

Calling and capacity of the local church: What would this be?…
• We can’t just withdraw from the community.
• This is where we need to be creative, think what we can do…
• Our communities cannot be healthy, all that God wants it to be, unless we are actively involved.
• “Christians have always had the privilege of working in partnership with God to care for the widow, the orphan, the alien, the disabled and the poor. “
• John 4:13-14

Now, what about the intersections of these circles?
• This is where it all comes together, where the city, God and the church meet.

Common grace: Where the interests of the city intersect with the desires of God.
• What God wants to do for a city that he doesn’t need the church to accomplish.
• Luke 6:35, “God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
• Matt. 5:45, “He causes the son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
• Common grace includes schools, streetlights, roads, bridges, police/firemen. We pay our taxes to procure common grace.

Control: The intersection between the city and the church (apart from the will of God).
• Not a good history here. It’s when the state controls the church (Europe) or here in America the church has sometimes tried to control the policies of the state. Doesn’t work either way.

Salvation: The intersection God wants for the city and what the church has the calling and capacity to do, bring salvation.
• John 4:3, Jer. 29:7
• Remember though, salvation for the city is not usually their first priority... How do we make this happen?
• Tennis players in the room? What is the “sweet spot?”

Service: The only location that encompasses all three areas.
• John 4:32
• The sweet spot. Service is something the community needs, it’s what God desires and the church has the capacity to do.
• But what if nothing happens when we reach out and serve?
• Check your motives (they are like underwear, only you know if they are clean or dirty, only you know if they need to be changed.)
• Why are you willing to serve in the first place? Do get noticed? To have someone thank you?
• “Service is only true service when it is done without the expectation of a payback or getting noticed.”
• We serve because God has commanded us to serve. Leave the results from there up to God. Gal. 6:9-10

Conclusion: John 4:42
• The goal of serving others at a common/neutral site is life transformation.
• “We no longer believe just because of what you said (or did)”
• We want to see people come to Jesus and start a new life.
• GOSPEL

Feedback/thoughts/questions?
• Homework assignment, serve someone this week in the “sweet spot.”
• We’ll share some of those stories next Sunday in church…

The externally focused church, part 2

The Externally focused church, part 2
“The power of service” Luke 10:30-37
• Mark 10:35-45 … this story is so typical of our human nature...Jesus finishes his answer with such key words…
• “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be come great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all. For even the Son on Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Big Picture: There is undeniable power in service and Jesus, as always, is our example.

(A small example, me and the boys mowing our neighbors lawns…)

Text: Luke 10: 30-37

This is such a powerful story, one of the best from the Bible. It clearly illustrates what typically happens when there is someone who is in need.
• In a good/bad way we need to identify with the characters from this story.
• Good if we are the Samaritan, bad if we are the “religious” people.
• Where so you find yourself in this story? Are you the robber, the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan?
• Think about that as we wrestle with this text today.

Some obvious things the Samaritan did right in this story:
He didn’t avoid the person in need.
• It’s so easy to do that…”Most ministry opportunities that God puts in front of us happen at the intersection of the unexpected and the interruption.”
• What a great way to approach each day…who can I serve today?
• Jumper cables last week at “Fanuel”…mom @moonlight…
I was almost the Priest or Levite...the “religious” people

He offered practical help. (In this case, medical help).
• Think through practical ideas instead of always just giving money. Take the time to ask, someone, “What do you really need? How can I help you?”

He provided transportation. (he put the wounded man on his donkey)
• Giving people rides to church, church events, to the store, etc.
• “It take between 12 and 20 positive bumps (refreshing encounters with the church) before people come to Christ.”

He provided lodging and companionship.
• This is huge, a big step. He took the injured man to a hotel and stayed with him. Some of us may be able to do that.
• Maybe we can just volunteer at a local homeless shelter…
• Martin Luther ”Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness...He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness...You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”

The last thing he did was offer money. (paid the innkeeper)
• Typically, that’s our first response...so much good can be done apart from money.
• People need relationships more than money. It’s the same way with our kids.