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We’re going to start a new series together over the next four weeks, and that is on the screen. Four things I wish you knew about God. And I’m just going to be up front and and starting this first lesson together, you’re going to think I’m playing some sort of trickery on your mind, some Jedi mind tricks here. Because what we’re going to talk about is, is something you already know in your mind, um, but maybe not completely. Always embrace in your heart. And we’re going through this series together. We’re going to talk about some concepts in the way that we, um, engage our culture, how God is relevant to life today, where God meets us, where we are and how we should interact with him as people, and what it’s important to know about God as we interact with him in in this world. And so not to insult your intelligence, but to simply recognize as we’re going through this series together. When I began to study and prepare, I asked myself this question. And and knowing the topic, we’re going to engage in, um, Nathaniel, what are some things that you really, um, need to refocus on as far as your walk with God goes? And I’m going with this general idea, whatever that is. We’re probably all in that boat together. And so over the next four days, we’re all people. We struggle with the same things. We generally tend to ask the same questions, though sometimes we might feel like we’re isolated from one another and our spiritual journey together.
We’re a lot alike when we when we begin to discuss just struggles, thoughts, questions that we ask about God and how it relates to life. And so not not to insult you this morning, but but just to simply say our minds will understand this topic, but our hearts usually drag a little bit further behind from what our mind is, and this is what we’re going to express to us in discussion as we dive into Scripture today. We’re going to be in Luke chapter 11 as our primary place of text. You can turn there, but here’s what I’m going to say. One thing. I wish we knew about God. Is just how much God desires to hear from you. Intellectually within our minds. We know this, but spiritually within our hearts we we can often neglect this. God desires to communicate with us. And the truth is, as people, if we understood how much God desires that relationship with you, we would spend far less time angry over issues, far less time in worry over issues, far less time stressed out over issues, far less time complaining over things, and far more time coming to God in prayer. The truth is prayer for us as people. Is a reflection of the beauty of what the gospel is. You think about what the gospel communicates to us as individuals, is that God is in pursuit of a relationship with you.
And when we understand what the gospel is, it magnifies the beauty of what prayer represents in the life of the believer. In Hebrews chapter four, it tells us come boldly with confidence before the throne of God. Why? Because of what Christ has done. The more our country goes towards political elections, it seems like the more hot topics began to get debated within our culture, and the more we as people become really concerned with how our opinions get expressed and that everyone knows what our opinion is. But the truth is. The more these issues are debated, the more the people of God should express their voices before the Lord. At the root of the gospel. The expression of prayer is born. Jesus has opened the door for you and I to come before our King and expression of this world. And so there’s a few weeks ago for us as as a body of believers. But you as a believer in this world are are the place where heaven are you? We we are the position of where heaven and earth collide. God working in you and through you. His spirit in you, indwelling you, empowering you to bear his image in this world. And so your relationship to God in your expression to him makes you the liaison, the representation of his image being born.
And therefore prayer is significant and therefore prayer becomes the the emblem of the gospel, which has opened up for us the avenue to express ourself to God because of what Jesus has done for us, that we may boldly approach the throne of God. When hot topics are debated today. I think they’re important to discuss as far as it relates to God. But far more important. It was the way that we communicate to the Lord in those matters. Ephesians chapter two and verse four is an expression of the gospel says this. But God. Being rich in mercy because of his great love, which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. And raise us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. People who know the Lord. Should be a praying people. Knowing that God has opened the door for us to continue to express the riches of his grace towards us in Christ because of his richness and mercy which he has lavished on us. When you study the context of prayer within Scripture, you’ll find that the word pray or prayer is mentioned over 365 times in the Bible. That the Bible records over 650 different prayers. In fact, if you go to our Facebook page this morning, you can see a list of those prayers and where they happen in Scripture.
The Bible records over 450 answers to prayer. Jesus in the Gospels is recorded as praying over 25 different times in the Apostle Paul. Within the the 13 books that he wrote of the letters within Scripture over 41 times, the Apostle Paul talks about prayer. Prayer is significant. In the context of Scripture. But, you know, as I talk about prayer this morning, one of the things that I don’t want us to do as a body of believers is to feel like it’s it’s a moral obligation or something that just needs to be on the checklist that I have to get done. Meaning. I don’t say prayer this morning. So you you walk out of here feeling like, oh, no, I got a I got to put something else on my bucket list for every day that I have to do before God. And oh, what am I going to squeeze that in? But I want us to think about it as we consider prayer as the opportunity that God has given us, and the access you have before the King to enjoy what you previously didn’t have apart from Christ, but because of Jesus. It’s not an obligation, but now a privilege and opportunity. You have to approach God before the throne, and rather than carry the burden upon yourself, rather than act in vengeance in your own power, you have access to the King who has all power.
It’s amazing to me. When something becomes important to people, what we will go through and endure just to make sure we get to experience it in life. We, um. When I was much younger, um, I remember some of my friends decided that, you know, bored with life. We’re just going to we’re just going to try to get and meet celebrities. That’s what we wanted to do. We were going to meet celebrities. So the first thing that we decided to do was there was this boy band that came to our town to play, and, uh, they were going to play some music in and we wanted to just meet them. They were the we decided this together. They’re going to be the first group that comes into our town, which is a small town that’s of anyone, of any celebrity. We don’t have to leave our town to meet these people. And so we decide in those moments we’re going to do whatever it takes to get near these people. And so. So we camp out the night before for tickets. We get to the front of the line and we find out that tickets, even though you camp out the night before, is is by random drawing. You get a number and then they draw it and you you are randomly selected first or not.
Whether you can’t that all night or not, it didn’t even matter. They were going to sell out within the first day. So it was good that we camped out so we could get tickets. But here we still have this opportunity to meet these celebrities. So we were kind of disappointed at the front of the line when we got there and find that out. But lo and behold, when they draw out these tickets, who is first? Well, yours truly, right? And the best part about it is this boy band, unfortunately for us and our our our pride as as young men attracted girls between the age of 10 to 12. And so here we are celebrating. We get these first tickets in line and we’re like in the faces of these ten year old girls. Oh yeah, oh yeah. The privilege of meeting these people. When we get our tickets and we get to the concert and we find out how fortunate our seats are, so much so that the opening acts that perform before this band actually have their seats right beside of us. And so throughout the concert of the main group, I get to sit beside these individuals that end up becoming popular in the music world and never got to talk to him because her bodyguard kept threatening me. But. But I was beside a celebrity. I’m not going to tell you on the back end of that.
If there’s ever someone you met that could care less if they meet a celebrity. I mean, as a kid, I made it a priority just because it sounded fun. But, uh, they’re just people. But you think about this. Who is God in comparison? God has given you access to him. God calls himself and He is King of kings and Lord of lords. We should have an image painted within our mind just by the vocabulary that’s used there. And what peasant of the world during the time of kings was able just to randomly approach the king at will. To go before a king. Unwanted, unmerited, uninvited could warrant your death. And yet the King of Kings gives you the opportunity to approach him at any time. Hebrews ten says this therefore, brethren, since we have the confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has inaugurated through us to the veil that is his flesh. And since we have a great high priest over the house, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Present an obligation. It’s a privilege. Jesus’s life was lived in such a way that prayer was seen as as a top priority to him. And he communicated that way to us about about the issue.
He says in Matthew that that his house in Matthew 2113, his house should be called a house of prayer. When Jesus expresses this thought, Jesus isn’t. Jesus isn’t saying that this church building is the house of prayer. When he was saying this, he was talking about about the the temple in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament it tells us that you now are the temple of God, and therefore, being the house of God, your house should become a house of prayer, or heaven and earth collide. Had a professor in college that used to remind us of students that would say, prayer is the nerve that moves the muscle of God. In Luke chapter 11, looking at the significance and prayer in the life of Jesus. This is what his disciples say. It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray. Just as John also taught his disciples. When it comes to prayer. What is prayer all about? How do we as individuals begin to interact with God? Whatever Jesus was doing in his life, one of the things that became crystal clear in the way that he was living it before his disciples is that prayer took priority in the life of Jesus. So much so that in verse two, I’m not working in verse two, who goes on a little further and says, Us.
And Jesus said to them. When you pray. Say, father. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. In verse two to verse four, Jesus is simply laying out for us a simple foundation to to the access we have to God and how we should approach him in prayer. When Jesus begins this prayer, he addresses prayer in the common way in which it’s mentioned in Scripture. He begins to speak to the father in reverence, and all hallowed be your name, meaning sacred, be your name. Jesus prays to the father. When you study the the the context of the way prayer is laid out within Scripture, it works this way for us as believers. The general way in which prayer is known. It’s. It’s to the father through the son. By the power of the spirit. Prayer engages the Triune God. To the father through the son, by the spirit. When you look at prayer in Scripture, you can find places where different persons within the Trinity are prayed to. In fact, in acts chapter seven, I believe it’s in 59 when when Stephen is stoned, he says, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. His last prayer was to Christ or directed to Christ. But the general way in which we pray is to the father through the son, by the spirit. And here’s how it comes through the son. We pray through the son because of what the son has done for us, to give us access to God the Father.
In fact, in John chapter 15 and verse 16, and in John 16 and verse 23, Jesus tells us that if we pray anything in his name, we shall receive it. The word name isn’t a magic trick when it comes to prayer. When you pray. Maybe you’ve even practiced this common thought within your life, where at the end you say, in Jesus name, Amen. Maybe you’ve even heard someone get worried before when they close a prayer. They didn’t say that phrase in Jesus name. Amen. And they sent it off. And you’re thinking, oh no, it didn’t get higher than the ceiling. They didn’t close it with the magic word in Jesus name. Why do we do that? Well, the word name within Scripture, as it’s listed in relationship to Christ, has to do with authority and power. It’s as if God the Father is saying, and and what right do you have to access before me to communicate to me King of kings and Lord of lords? And our answer to that is by the authority of Jesus, because of what Jesus has done on my behalf. So the power of his name. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence. When Jesus is saying in John chapter 15 and John chapter 16, whatever you pray in my name. When Jesus makes that statement, he’s making that statement in the context of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
In Romans eight. The Bible reminds us in verse 26, we do not know how to pray as we should. But the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. The Bible is acknowledging that there are even times in our lives when we come before God and and the soul wants to connect to God so much. And maybe the grieving is so deep that there there aren’t even words to express the way you feel, but you understand that God knows your heart, and sitting before his presence, when there aren’t words to even express the Spirit of God can grown on your behalf. Have you been there? Going through such difficulty within your life. You want to come before God, but even coming before God, you feel as if you don’t even have the strength to express the need that you have before his throne. And it tells us when we come on our knees and the power of Christ, the, the, the, the groanings of the spirit, that God hears our cry. When Jesus gives us the answer. How to pray. It’s through the permission of him dying on our behalf that we can come before the father. And Jesus engages this idea of prayer as something significant. Here at the very last phrase, it says your Kingdom come. The idea of prayer expressed within the life of the believer is not to get God to bend to my will.
But for me to live for his. It’s not about my kingdom. But it’s about his second chronicles, chapter seven and verse 14. We’ll look at the whole verse in just a few minutes, but the very beginning of it says this if my people will humble themselves and pray. Find the the significant word to the attitude of prayer in Second Chronicles chapter seven isn’t that the people of God are praying, but the attitude in which they are carrying into prayer itself. If my people will humble themselves and pray. It’s expressing that when we engage into prayer, it’s not about me, it’s not about my wants, but it’s about the Lord and what his kingdom desires in this world. And first John five and verse 13 it says, this is the confidence which we have before him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Again, emphasizing that that the attitude of prayer is not about my will, but his his will being done. And so we engage God. It’s not about making him bend to us and our needs. But to his desires. Now, if you read the rest of Luke and you’ll see if you as you journey on past Jesus expressing the prayer, God begins to say how much? How much? God wants to lavish his goodness upon his children. And so God cares about your needs.
But God’s priority in this world is his kingdom and his desire and us aligning ourselves with him. And so the thought of prayer, expressed in a biblical way, transforms the people of God more than anything. Ephesians chapter six and verse 19 and 20. Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for me. That I may boldly open my mouth and proclaim the gospel. He sees prayer as a way to to change and challenge and strengthen and encourage him. David, when you read the Psalms, he says this in particularly in Psalm 139 and verse 23, it says, search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my ways. God is my heart about your kingdom. When I think of the reasons and excuses within our lives why sometimes we don’t pray. Sometimes. Maybe within our lives we we don’t pray because we feel like we may overburden God. In first Peter five tells us, cast all your anxiety on him because he he cares for you. You can’t overburden God. In fact, if you feel that way this morning, I would just tell you this. Try it. And God in creating prayer didn’t make prayer for himself. God didn’t create prayer because he needs to hear from you. God created prayer for you. And as you pray to him, he receives the glory. An understanding that the expression of her prayer acknowledges that he is Lord in control.
You can’t overburden him with prayer. He’s created it for you so that you can engage him. In fact, acts chapter 17 and verse 25 says this. Nor is God served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things. And sometimes we don’t pray because we feel like we might overburden God. But maybe some other times we don’t pray because we get this defeatist mentality and we think, what is? What’s the use? When you when you read about the life of of Jeremiah in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah is often referred to as he’s the weeping prophet. That is the the tum dub for him. But within the book of of Jeremiah, he endured tremendous hardship. To the point that I would say if anyone had a defeated mentality. Looking at the impossibility of a circumstance and not even wanting to have the energy to pray. It’s Jeremiah. But God in Jeremiah chapter 32 and verse 27 says this behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me? And looking at the needs of the world and looking at the time, specifically of Jeremiah, when the nation of Israel was being being conquered, God acknowledges to Jeremiah, in the midst of hardship, there is nothing too difficult for God to do. Saying to you, having access to God before his his very throne, the place where heaven and earth interact as you come before your King.
Dream big in the Lord. When you think about the areas of life where you want to see God work, and it feels like you’re cramming your head against the wall, there is nothing too big for God. God desires to hear from his people. Jesus goes on further in Luke chapter 11. He says in verse three, give us each day our daily bread. I’m going to position that against a verse and just talk about both of these for a moment. Jesus says, give us each day our daily bread. And first Thessalonians five. The Apostle Paul says this pray without ceasing. Give us each day our daily bread. What Jesus is saying here is he’s answering this question. God, how much do we need to pray for everything that we go through in life? I remember when I first became a believer, I started asking that question in regards to prayer life. God, when I get up in the morning, do I need to ask you what kind of shoes to wear? I mean, how detailed does prayer need to be? And you look at Paul and he says, pray without ceasing. So does that mean pray about everything? God, how many steps should I take to get to the front door? I’ll skip if I have to to cut back, but. And how specific does prayer need to be? And when Jesus is teaching the disciples to pray, he generalizes the day in which you interact.
He says, give us each day our daily bread. What Jesus is teaching the disciples here is God. The needs that I have within the present be there to meet them. Jesus isn’t teaching his disciples to pray about every specific thing. But what Jesus is teaching his disciples is to recognize how God is involved in everything. Disciples when you wake up in the morning. Acknowledge before God that he is the one that provides. And for that day. Pray that his hand meet you to give you what’s needed. When the Apostle Paul says, pray without ceasing. What he’s saying to us isn’t just wake up, start praying, and and then don’t stop. In fact, if someone starts to try to have a conversation with you, stop for two seconds and tell them, sorry, you can’t interrupt me. I’m going to pray all day because this verse says, pray without ceasing. That’s not what this verse means. Well, this verse means, is to keep God at the center of your day through prayer. This word for ceasing. If I could give it. Maybe an example for us is if you ever get sick, especially in the winter time, and you get that, that whooping cough or that repetitious cough that interacts with you throughout the day that you wish you wish would go away. Well, prayer is the opposite of that.
It’s not the the nagging solution to the day, but it’s the positive solution in your day. As you’re going throughout your day, just keep Jesus at the center. Prayer helps you to remind yourself, as you engage within this world, that God should be at the forefront of all that you’re doing. Rather than find out how your friends feel about every issue, whether make sure you interact with God on the issue first. Give us each day our daily bread. Pray without ceasing. God is rich in his mercy. Sometimes as Christians we get a defeatist mentality and we like to complain about the way things are going. But can I tell you when things aren’t going the way that you would desire for them to go? More than anything, what we should be is people on our knees expressing our voices to God rather than people on our feet expressing hatred within this world. Jesus goes on further in verse four and he says, give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins. For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us, and lead us not into temptation. Jesus is teaching the disciples the totality of the Christian life and how God is engaged in all of it through prayer. Give us each day our daily bread is dealing with the present God. Provide for what I need today and forgive us our sins is talking about the past as we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
God’s hand takes care of your past. He he manifests his grace. He lavishes his mercy upon it. And who is indebted to us? And lead us not into temptation. God is thinking about your future, and God is already in your future. And Jesus is teaching us to to not worry about the past, turning into to God’s hands and not be concerned with the future, but give it over into God’s hands and look for God’s hand working in the present by meeting you where you have needs for his Kingdom. God takes care of her past, present and future. Relieving us of our concerns. And this is why this is important this morning. This is one of the things I, as a believer, I think about often and want to safeguard myself from. Christians are good at christianese. When you walk with Jesus long enough, and especially I’ll say me and going to Bible college, um, you learn the lingo to share that masks what lies within the heart. We get really good at sounding godly without living godly. That’s not a statement to judge other people. It’s a statement I make just to judge me. Here’s how you know if you really care. If you’re really walking with Jesus, if you’re living a godly life. I think it can be measured by the amount of time you pray.
If you really cared about it the way God cared about it, you’d be talking to God with him or in it. I’ll say it again to just remind us I don’t talk about prayer this morning to make us walk out and feel guilty about it, as if it’s something you’ve got to put on your bucket list. Uh, I talk about prayer this morning to recognize what the privilege is for us as people. We know it in our head, but do you know it in your heart? Second Chronicles, chapter seven is a popular verse on prayer, and it’s some that theologians say that Christians abuse greatly. But Second Chronicles chapter seven says this for people. And I’ll give you, I’ll tell you what the abuse is in just a minute. But the concept of this prayer is beautiful for us. And it says, my people who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sins, and will heal their land. In Second Chronicles chapter seven, Israel going, going into captivity. God’s reminding the people of Israel as they walk with him. God will keep them, bless them, and keep them within the land. And when they’re disobedient to them and he doesn’t listen to them, they will go into judgment and exile. And so by following the concept of this prayer, this is what I’m not going to say is going to happen, that God’s going to take you to Israel for you to live.
Okay. That’s not going to happen. Boy, I got a saying in this verse. The concepts behind this verse are exactly what God desires from his people. Now before you respond. For God in this world that you’re talking to your King about what his heart is for this world. If you really care and Jesus knows from you before anyone else does. Sometimes as a pastor, I feel like this is what happens. Um, I don’t know why we do this. Well, maybe I do, but I feel like sometimes when there’s gatherings together as people of God, when the pastor’s there, we kind of just look to that person to be the one to initiate prayer. But can I tell you guys, um, just from a place of humility, I’m just a person. There’s nothing more special about the way I pray than the way that you pray. And in fact, if you wait for me to pray at that function when we’re gathered together, I may not be in a place even thinking about prayer. You may. You may be in a place that you’re you’re more connected to God in those moments than I am. And don’t wait. Don’t wait for anybody to initiate the need to come before your king. I mean, when you see the need to do it.
And to me, to the people around you. It’s convicting. It’s challenging, it’s honoring, it’s uplifting. It’s everything at one time. God has given us all the opportunity to approach his throne. God has given us all the privilege to lift up our voices and pray to him. And what a beautiful thing for us to think about. Second Chronicles chapter seven. We consider our world and its desire to connect God. Got. Really? I want your heart. I want my heart to break for this world. The way your heart breaks for this world. I want to see this world. The way that you see this world. I want to engage this world. As you have called me to engage this world. God, I want your power behind everything that we do as a church. And this is the way it’s going to be measured. And this is the way it’s going to happen by the people of God, first going on their knees and praying before the Lord. If two people walk out of our church this morning, this is what I would desire for to happen. Someone to say something powerful is going to happen from those people of God. And the other person was to respond, oh, why do you say that? I hope the answer isn’t because they’re complaining so much about this issue. But rather because they’re on their knees talking to the Lord about this need, and their heart is aligning with his heart and that becomes dangerous. Frisking.