Pray.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] All right, go ahead and have a seat. [0:01] Welcome to Village Church. [0:02] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:04] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:06] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful [0:09] to see each and every one of you this morning.

[0:11] If you have your Bibles, I’m gonna ask you [0:13] to open them up to two different places this morning. [0:15] The first place is gonna be Luke chapter 18, [0:18] and then the second place is gonna be Matthew chapter six. [0:20] We’re gonna start in Luke 18, [0:22] and then we’re gonna make our way over to Matthew six.

[0:25] But this is our second week in a seven-part series [0:28] entitled Seven Basic Commands of Christ. [0:32] And what we’ve ventured to do in this series [0:34] is to summarize all of the commands that Jesus gave us [0:38] into seven basic things that will define us [0:42] if we’re following Jesus.

[0:44] The biggest question oftentimes that we will get [0:47] about following Jesus is what does it mean [0:50] to be a disciple of Christ? [0:53] And over these seven weeks, [0:55] we’re gonna basically take a look at [0:56] what does it look like to follow Him and obey Him?

[1:00] Because in order to follow Jesus, [1:03] you necessarily must obey the things that He said [1:06] that you are to be about. [1:08] It is about living the life that He commands us to live. [1:12] If we’re not doing that, then we cannot hope [1:16] to possibly be a disciple of Christ.

[1:18] We’ll be a disciple of something, [1:20] but it will not then be a disciple of Jesus Christ. [1:24] Last week, we took a look at what is really [1:26] the primary command of Christ, [1:28] the one that’s going to come before any other command, [1:31] and that is the command to repent and believe

[1:34] in the gospel of Jesus Christ. [1:36] Without the change of God through faith, [1:39] which is turning from our sin, [1:41] trusting in the name of Jesus, [1:44] then we cannot obey Him. [1:46] We need God to do a drastic work in every one of our lives.

[1:51] And so every command of Christ that we’re going to cover [1:54] is going to bring with it the assumption [1:56] of faith in Jesus Christ. [1:59] The thought that you’ve seen Christ, [2:01] you’ve believed in Him as God, [2:03] you’ve seen the work that He did on the cross,

[2:05] you’ve trusted that He did that work [2:07] to sacrifice His life for your sin. [2:10] And then He rose again from the dead [2:12] in order to give you a brand new life [2:14] in which by His power and through His forgiveness, [2:18] you actually have the potential to follow Jesus.

[2:22] You actually have the privilege to know who God is, [2:26] to have the debt of your sin against Him [2:29] completely erased so that you can be reconciled to God. [2:35] In being reconciled to God then, [2:38] you will build a life of relationship [2:42] with God through Jesus Christ.

[2:44] A life in which you actually seek [2:46] to take every thought captive, [2:47] a life in which you seek to take every action captive [2:51] so that you can point it towards Jesus, [2:53] so that you can live for Him, [2:55] so that you can then instead of living a life

[2:57] marked by disobedience of God, [2:59] you can begin to live a life marked by obedience with God. [3:05] And so this week what I wanna do is I wanna talk about [3:07] what it actually means to be in relationship with God. [3:12] And the vital aspect of any relationship [3:14] is going to be communication.

[3:17] If you spend any time in premarital counseling [3:19] or marital counseling, [3:20] they’re not gonna be talking to that counselor [3:20] if they know what they’re talking about. [3:22] They’re going to spend a lot of time [3:24] on your communication patterns.

[3:27] The fact that there needs to be communication [3:30] between one another. [3:31] And when you cease to communicate, [3:33] that’s where most misunderstandings [3:35] are gonna find a root. [3:37] They’re going to find a foundation in your life.

[3:40] And so God has not designed us to be far off from Him. [3:45] The Bible tells us in the book of Genesis [3:47] that we were all created in the image of God. [3:50] And what that means is that we were created [3:53] to reflect God, but also to relate to God [3:57] in our everyday life.

[4:00] That God is not just some far off deity [4:03] that we cannot hope to connect to. [4:05] But instead, one of the greatest things, [4:07] one of the greatest gifts that God gives us [4:09] through believing in the gospel of Jesus [4:11] is that we can actually live in relationship with God.

[4:16] We can communicate with God. [4:20] Prayer then is communion with God [4:22] and engagement with the truth of who God is. [4:27] Prayer is actually experiencing [4:29] what you know and believe about God. [4:34] And as your knowledge grows,

[4:36] so should your experience of prayer then grow. [4:40] And as we’re living in this life, [4:42] we have to understand that of all of the religions [4:45] that I know of in this world, [4:48] every single one of them has some aspect [4:51] or some type of prayer involved

[4:55] as a vital means of living that religion out. [4:59] And that is part of what it means [5:01] to be made in the image of God. [5:03] That every one of us at some point or another, [5:05] specifically when we feel like we’re down [5:07] to our last chance,

[5:10] we will cry out to God in some form of prayer. [5:14] And this instinct is not one that should be denied, [5:17] but rather it is one that should be stewarded. [5:19] It is one that should be built upon. [5:21] The fact that it is so instinctive for us [5:24] to reach out to a higher power, a higher being,

[5:28] and just so you know, we’re going to define that [5:30] by the person and work of Jesus today, [5:33] should show us that there’s something innate [5:36] in every one of us that cries out to us [5:40] that prayer is vital. [5:43] But not only do we have to depend on that

[5:45] which is instinctive inside of every one of us, [5:48] but the scriptures tell us scores and scores [5:51] about what prayer is. [5:52] Every story in scripture and every character [5:56] in the Bible narrative always has prayer [6:00] as a basis for their lives.

[6:03] You will not see a person in the Bible [6:05] who’s experiencing a deep relationship with God, [6:10] who’s experiencing a life in connection with God, [6:13] a life living the mission of God, [6:16] a life living the plan and will of God, [6:19] who does not at its root have a basis in prayer.

[6:24] From the stories of Moses to the stories of Abraham [6:27] to the stories of Daniel in the Old Testament, [6:30] all the way through the New Testament [6:32] from Jesus to the apostles, [6:34] there’s a common thread among every one [6:36] of their experiences with God,

[6:38] and that is marked by prayer. [6:41] And so the thing that we need to deal with [6:43] is I just wanna deal with two questions this morning. [6:47] Number one, what is the purpose of prayer? [6:50] And then number two, I wanna deal with [6:51] how do I then pray?

[6:53] If I establish that prayer has a purpose, [6:56] and I think we can all kind of find a common ground there, [6:59] that there is a purpose for prayer in our lives, [7:02] but what’s often found wanting in our lives [7:04] and what’s often found kind of a place of ignorance [7:07] in our lives is okay, I know I need to do it,

[7:10] what do I do? [7:12] And a lot of times this kind of gets boiled down [7:14] in our lives when we sit in a group of people [7:16] and we say, okay, does anyone have any prayer requests?

[7:21] That’s an important aspect, and we’re gonna cover that. [7:23] But if all of our prayers are boiled down [7:26] to simply what I want or what I think I need, [7:31] basically we are reduced then to a child [7:33] watching commercials on television saying, [7:35] I want that toy, I want that toy.

[7:38] It’s one thing that both of my children have in common [7:40] is that when I turn it to the channel [7:41] that all the cartoons in, I will spend every three minutes. [7:45] I want that, I want that, I want that. [7:49] And so the question is, should our prayer life [7:53] be reduced and only grow so much

[7:57] as a three-year-old’s relationship with his parents? [8:01] Or a three-year-old’s relationship with toys? [8:03] Or is there more to the life of prayer in our lives? [8:07] Is there more that we should seek after? [8:09] Is there more that we should go after? [8:11] Well, first I wanna talk about the purpose

[8:13] of prayer in our lives. [8:14] So look at the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 18. [8:19] Here’s what Jesus is going to say to his disciples. [8:22] Just I’m gonna cover one verse, very short, very sweet. [8:25] Jesus told them a parable, and he had a lot of those. [8:29] To the effect that they ought always to pray

[8:33] and not lose heart.

[8:37] Throughout all four gospel accounts, [8:40] very few times does Jesus actually give a root command. [8:46] You need to pray. [8:49] I challenge you, read through them. [8:51] Jesus does not look at his people and he says, [8:53] you should pray.

[8:55] You should spend a lot of time in prayer. [8:56] Actually, most of the times that Jesus deals with prayer, [9:01] he begins with the presumption [9:04] that they already know they need to pray. [9:07] So when you read Jesus’ teachings on prayer, [9:09] quite often the thread that binds them all is,

[9:12] when you pray, do it like this. [9:15] When you pray, don’t do it like this. [9:18] Or when you pray, be like this type of person. [9:21] Or when you pray, don’t be like this person. [9:24] So every time that Jesus comes to a conversation [9:27] about prayer, except for this place in Luke chapter 18

[9:30] where he gives a general command that prayer is important, [9:33] prayer is vital, you ought always to pray. [9:38] And then it’s like Jesus knows something about us [9:41] because then he follows it up with, and don’t lose heart.

[9:46] Because there’s one thing in all the people [9:47] that I’ve talked to and all the people that I’ve counseled [9:49] and all the people that I’ve discipled in my life, [9:51] one thing that we all have in common is, [9:54] that man prayer gets difficult at times. [9:58] That sometimes we’re tempted to give up hope.

[10:01] Sometimes it doesn’t seem like that thing [10:03] that we’re praying for, that person that we’re praying for, [10:06] that event that we need to happen, [10:08] that money that we need to come in, [10:09] that healing that we want to see, [10:11] that person that we want to see come to faith

[10:13] in Jesus Christ, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. [10:18] And so what do we often do? [10:20] We lose heart. [10:22] As Jesus gives a clear command, [10:26] prayer needs to be enduring. [10:29] Prayer needs to be something that your attention

[10:32] continuously goes to. [10:34] And then the parable that he then gives [10:35] is about a little woman seeking justice [10:38] over and over and over and over, seeking it. [10:41] And then finally she gets it and God says, [10:44] that needs to be what your prayer life with me is like.

[10:49] A prayer life that is marked by endurance. [10:51] A prayer life that is marked by trust. [10:54] A prayer life that is marked by, [10:56] I believe that my prayers are effecting something. [11:02] I believe that God is hearing me and more than that, [11:04] I believe that God is working

[11:07] and will work through these prayers. [11:10] And so what is the basis for a prayer life? [11:13] Well, go back to last week, listen to that podcast, [11:15] repent and believe. [11:18] Every command that Christ is going to give [11:21] over the next few weeks is marked by a foundation

[11:25] that you’ve trusted in God, [11:27] that you believe that God is telling the truth [11:29] in everything that he says, [11:31] specifically and especially in who Jesus is, [11:34] what Jesus says and what Jesus did [11:36] and what he’s going to do.

[11:38] That you have to trust, [11:40] that you have to believe that God is going to work for you. [11:44] And so in doing this, you need to do number one, [11:47] which is the reality that prayer [11:50] reorients my focus towards God. [11:54] So when Jesus looks to his followers and he says,

[11:56] you ought always to pray and not lose heart, [11:58] he’s challenging their focus. [12:00] He’s challenging what their vision is. [12:02] He’s challenging what their focus for their lives is. [12:06] And he’s telling them that the struggle to pray is vital. [12:12] It does take effort.

[12:14] Just as it takes effort to sit down with someone [12:16] and have that hard conversation [12:18] or just to have any conversation. [12:20] Just like the focus on building a relationship [12:22] with anyone at any time for any purpose, [12:25] it’s going to take intentionality.

[12:27] It’s going to take effort. [12:29] But life has a way of hardening the heart [12:33] to the things of God. [12:35] Because of our divided hearts, [12:38] we are less able to feel and less able to sense [12:41] the presence and work of God in every one of our lives.

[12:45] We rarely unplug from the screens in front of our faces [12:49] or the things that we are committed to in our lives [12:52] in order to seek the experience of life in prayer [12:57] with God and to God. [13:00] So the reality that we have to understand [13:02] is that the reason that Jesus needed to come

[13:04] to these people who were steeped in the Old Testament, [13:09] they were steeped in the reality that God is active [13:12] in their lives and he has to look at them and remind them, [13:14] you ought always to pray, don’t lose heart. [13:17] God is working, God is going to work, God cares for you. [13:23] It’s because the struggle with prayer

[13:26] is a symptom of loving the success of the world [13:30] more than God. [13:32] The struggle with prayer is a symptom [13:35] of loving the success of the world more than God. [13:40] In Luke 18.1, Jesus gives the truth [13:42] that has driven home throughout all of scripture

[13:44] and especially in his life. [13:48] Prayer must be the defining activity [13:51] for the follower of Jesus.

[13:54] A few weeks ago, I knew that this was coming [13:57] and so I took some time and I did a survey [13:59] of all four of the gospels specifically to look [14:02] at the prayers of Jesus. [14:04] Specifically to look at how Jesus prayed, [14:07] when he prayed, what types of prayers,

[14:10] what types of activities that he did, [14:12] was there a methodology that was shared among them? [14:14] And the thing that amazed me more than anything else [14:17] wasn’t the wording of Jesus’ prayers [14:19] nor was it the methods with which he used [14:21] but frankly it was the timing of Jesus’ prayers

[14:24] that surprised me more than anything else. [14:28] Dozens and dozens of times throughout the ministry [14:30] of Jesus, which is just a three year snapshot [14:33] of his entire life, you see prayer as the constant [14:37] in Jesus’ life. [14:38] He constantly turned his focus towards God in prayer

[14:41] in every instance of his earthly ministry. [14:46] And Jesus, it was instinctive to him [14:49] that no matter what he was doing, [14:50] no matter where he was, that he prayed. [14:52] And I just wanna give you a couple of examples [14:54] of what Jesus did in every moment

[14:56] showing that prayer was preeminent. [14:58] He would get away early in the morning [15:00] to be by himself and pray. [15:02] He would get away late at night [15:05] to be by himself and pray alone. [15:07] But then he prayed before every meal.

[15:09] He prayed before ministering to people. [15:11] He prayed after ministering to people. [15:14] He even paused while he was ministering to people [15:17] face to face and prayed. [15:20] He prayed during sermons, before sermons, after sermons. [15:25] Jesus would constantly pray.

[15:26] In one story, Jesus is having a debate [15:29] with the Sadducees and the Pharisees [15:31] and he just stops mid-sentence, [15:33] looks to the heavens and begins to pray right there. [15:38] When he was suffering, Jesus prayed. [15:41] In his final address to the apostles,

[15:44] the disciples rather, he finishes John 16 [15:48] and with no segue, Jesus just goes [15:51] from instructing the disciples [15:53] to what they need to do after he leaves. [15:55] And then in John 17, right there with them, [15:58] he begins to just pray for them.

[16:01] When Jesus died, he prayed. [16:05] After Jesus rose again, he prays. [16:09] And the scripture tells us that even now, [16:13] sitting at the right hand of the Father, [16:15] awaiting to come and get his church, [16:17] it says that he intercedes in prayer for us.

[16:22] Friends, everything that Jesus did on earth [16:25] and everything that he’s even doing now [16:27] is marked by constant prayer. [16:32] Because ultimately, what I think Jesus is showing us [16:35] just through his example, just through his activity [16:38] is that we are in need for God.

[16:42] If God the Son, the second part of the Trinity [16:45] while on earth, lived a life [16:47] of constantly turning his focus towards God,

[16:53] we have to understand that he’s trying to show us [16:56] where we need to constantly turn our focus. [17:00] But study after study shows that we are a people [17:03] who habitually have a hard time turning the screen off [17:08] and turning prayer on. [17:11] A recent study showed that even our children

[17:14] are marked by sending five, six, seven hours a day [17:18] just staring at a screen. [17:19] And what we’re not doing there, I think we can actually say, [17:23] is we are not building a generation [17:25] who’s focused on the necessity of solitude [17:27] in their relationship with God.

[17:29] But what we’re doing is we’re marking ourselves [17:31] and we’re marking the coming generations with the reality [17:34] that what’s right in front of their face [17:35] is what demands all of their attention [17:37] and that what’s going on right here, right now, [17:40] on this earth needs their focus more than anything else.

[17:44] But as one of my mentors once told me [17:46] and he says over and over again, [17:48] he says nothing of eternal importance [17:50] is ever accomplished apart from prayer. [17:54] Note what Jesus says in John 15 verse four. [17:58] I think this is what he was getting at when he says,

[18:01] abide in me and I in you. [18:04] As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself [18:06] unless it abides in the vine, neither can you [18:10] unless you abide in me. [18:14] He’s showing us that this connection that we have to God [18:18] through trusting in the finished work of Jesus

[18:20] is an ongoing life of dependence [18:23] in which we’re turning our efforts, turning our focus, [18:27] turning our attention constantly to the things of God [18:31] more than the things that are constant right here, [18:34] right now. [18:36] And I think that is what has happened in most of our lives

[18:38] because if we’re really honest, [18:41] that’s why often our prayers are simply a list [18:44] of things that we want or need. [18:46] When prayer is all about asking God for things, [18:49] it’s because it reveals that your focus [18:51] is not going towards God.

[18:53] Even in prayer, your focus is continuously upon yourself. [18:58] Now don’t get me wrong, friends, [19:00] making your request known to God [19:01] is an important aspect of prayer. [19:04] But if that is what it is limited to, [19:07] you’re not turning your focus to God.

[19:09] You are simply seeking to use God. [19:12] Prayer then, friends, is meant by God to aid you [19:16] in experiencing what you are learning about [19:18] in your life. [19:21] And so just take inventory, [19:23] certainly don’t say this out loud,

[19:26] but take inventory right here, right now, of your prayers. [19:30] What do they reveal about your relationship with God? [19:34] What does it reveal about where you’re going in life? [19:38] What does it reveal about what you’re learning in life? [19:41] And then what does it reveal [19:43] about what you’re learning about God?

[19:46] Believer in Christ or unbeliever in Christ, [19:48] you can both take this activity [19:50] because we’ve already seen that prayer [19:51] is something that we all share in common. [19:54] And so what do your prayers reveal [19:55] about the values of your life?

[19:59] That leads us to the second question, [20:01] how then should we pray? [20:03] If it’s important, then how do we do it? [20:06] Well, secondly, this morning, prayer is continuing [20:09] a conversation that God has started. [20:12] Prayer is continuing a conversation

[20:15] that God has already started. [20:18] Thankfully, God did not just leave us on our own [20:21] to just kind of define it subjectively by my emotions, [20:25] by my personality, by who I am or who I want him to be. [20:28] Instead, God was loving enough to reveal himself to us. [20:32] God was loving enough to go even past that

[20:35] and come and live among us as one of us [20:39] to show what prayer should be about, [20:41] to example for us what prayer should be for, [20:43] and then show us the life that will build [20:46] the most effective prayers. [20:48] So note that prayer is personal, communicative response

[20:53] to the knowledge of God. [20:56] About a year ago, I was spending time discipling my family [21:01] and discipling other people, [21:02] and I began to notice a blind spot in my own life. [21:06] I think every one of us have blind spots, [21:08] so that’s what makes them so difficult to see,

[21:10] because we’re blind to them. [21:12] And I noticed that there was a blind spot in my life, [21:15] and prayer became a glaring example of a place [21:18] that I did not feel as a follower of Jesus [21:20] that I was growing in. [21:22] My prayers seemed sort of mundane.

[21:24] My prayers seemed to just kind of be rote. [21:26] Of course, the practice was there. [21:28] Every morning, I just kind of had a habit of getting up, [21:30] reading the word, praying, [21:32] but it just seemed to be the same thing over and over again, [21:35] and I wasn’t seeing any growth in my life,

[21:36] so I said, man, I gotta adjust this [21:39] because I’m trying to teach my kids how to pray. [21:41] I’m trying to teach the rest of my family how to pray. [21:43] I’m trying to teach people, of course, [21:44] in Village Church how to pray, [21:46] and if my prayer life is weak,

[21:49] what do all those who are around me [21:51] have any hope of building an effective prayer life? [21:55] So I did what any red-blooded American does. [21:57] I tried to find a how-to book, [22:00] and so I picked up a book just simply entitled [22:04] Prayer by Timothy Keller,

[22:07] and so many of the things that are gonna follow [22:09] from here on out are going to be things from that book, [22:11] and so if I were to tell you one tool [22:14] outside of scripture, [22:15] because I think scripture’s the ultimate [22:17] in learning about how to relate with God,

[22:19] but secondly, I would advise you, go pick that book up, [22:21] because I found it to be quite, [22:23] not necessarily revolutionary in my life, [22:26] but so informative of the scriptures [22:29] and of Orthodox historic Christianity [22:31] and the practices of prayer

[22:33] that have marked the church of Jesus Christ, [22:35] that it had certainly changed the way [22:37] that I approach prayer, [22:39] and so what I want us to understand [22:41] is that first and foremost, [22:42] the clearer our understanding of who God is,

[22:46] the better our prayers. [22:49] Note that I do not believe all prayer is equally effective, [22:54] but I don’t believe that you are the root [22:58] of how to have effective prayer. [23:01] The root of how to have effective prayer [23:03] is based on your knowledge of God.

[23:07] The greatest example of this, the New Testament gives us, [23:09] and our relationship with God is, of course, [23:11] the biggest relationship in any married person’s life, [23:14] our relationship with our spouse. [23:16] So imagine if throughout my marriage, [23:18] I refused to learn anything about my wife

[23:21] in the way that she was revealing it to me. [23:23] I just ignored it, I refused to pay attention to it, [23:26] and I just based everything that I ever did for my wife [23:28] or did with my wife to that which comes naturally to me, [23:32] a man.

[23:35] I would not have very good marriage, [23:39] but quite often, that’s where we fail in prayer. [23:42] We base our prayer life on that [23:44] which just seems to come natural. [23:45] We pray for those things that we’ve always wanted. [23:47] We pray in the way that we think that we need to pray,

[23:50] but what we’re doing there [23:51] is we’re establishing a bad pattern, [23:53] and that is the pattern that my relationship with God [23:55] is based on me. [23:58] Friends, your relationship with God [23:59] must be based on he who is preeminent.

[24:02] That is God himself. [24:04] So as you grow in understanding about God, [24:08] you will then necessarily grow in your prayer life. [24:12] Note what Jesus says right before [24:13] he gives us the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew chapter six. [24:18] In Matthew chapter six, starting in verse seven,

[24:20] here’s what Jesus says. [24:21] I love it, he says, and when you pray, [24:24] there’s that assumption, you’re probably praying. [24:27] But he says, when you pray, [24:30] do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do. [24:34] Have you ever found yourself early in the morning,

[24:36] late at night, surrounded by a community group [24:39] or before a meal, and you were just praying [24:42] and you just kind of were taking inventory and realized, [24:46] I have no idea what I’m even saying right now. [24:48] There’s a lot of these, there’s a lot of thou’s, [24:50] there’s a lot of fathers, Lord has said multiple times,

[24:54] and I’ve said things about omniscience, [24:56] I don’t even know what that word means, [24:58] I’ve said things about holiness, [25:00] not sure what that means either, [25:01] but you’re just saying words, [25:04] but they really don’t have a great deal of meaning.

[25:08] That’s specifically what Jesus is talking about here. [25:10] Then he continues, and he says, [25:12] for they think that they will be heard [25:14] for their many words. [25:17] Ever been somewhere and there’s that one guy?

[25:23] Clearly we’ve all been in the same place.

[25:27] I have to admit, I think I’ve been that guy a few times. [25:32] But you kind of start asking yourself, [25:34] did he not have his quiet time this morning, [25:36] because it sure seems like it’s going on right now. [25:40] It’s like, bro, you don’t get more points [25:42] for how long you go here, we’re hungry,

[25:45] let’s get out of here. [25:47] Jesus is saying you don’t impress God [25:50] by how many words you’re able to say. [25:53] He says, do not be like them, verse eight. [25:57] He says, note this, [26:00] for your father knows what you need before you ask him.

[26:04] See, he’s establishing a relationship there. [26:10] He’s saying, don’t pray like people who don’t know God. [26:15] Pray like people who actually know him. [26:18] Pray like someone who’s actually in a relationship with him, [26:21] because if you’re in a relationship with him, [26:22] if you’re growing in your knowledge of God,

[26:24] clearly you know enough about him [26:26] that he knows what you’re gonna say before you say it. [26:30] That he knows what you need in your life [26:32] before you tell him. [26:34] And so the way that you come before him [26:36] is marked by honesty.

[26:39] You have been given the knowledge of God in Jesus, [26:43] but you’ve also been given that knowledge in the Bible. [26:48] And so the scriptures will serve as a vital means [26:52] to grow your prayer life so that you can know who he is. [27:00] So that you can know how much he loves you. [27:02] So that you can know how much he wants

[27:04] that which is best for you. [27:07] Because the Bible is the gateway to conversation with God. [27:13] God began the conversation by revealing himself [27:16] through the prophets, through the priests, [27:18] and the kings of the Old Testament. [27:20] And then in the New Testament,

[27:21] he’s ultimately revealed himself [27:23] in the biggest story that we’ve ever seen. [27:25] And that is the person and work of Jesus Christ. [27:27] And then he continues the story through the apostles [27:29] and the rest of the New Testament. [27:31] So if you want to build a relationship with God,

[27:34] understand that the Bible is the vital means [27:37] by which you know God.

[27:40] So if you’re not in the scriptures, [27:41] if you’re not saturating your life with the word of God, [27:43] then your prayers cannot grow. [27:47] Because this is how God has chosen [27:49] to reveal himself to us. [27:50] John Piper has famously said,

[27:52] if you want to hear the voice of God, [27:55] read the Bible out loud.

[27:58] Because it is his word. [28:00] It is how he has chosen to reveal himself to us. [28:04] And so you do not go to this book at any point, [28:07] at any time, and not take away what God is revealing [28:11] about himself to you personally. [28:14] Do you see the love with which God loved us?

[28:18] That he did not, though he is transcendent, [28:21] though he is above us, though he is more powerful than us, [28:25] he’s eternal, he’s unlimited, [28:27] that God does not want to stay unknown.

[28:32] But instead he comes to each and every one of us [28:34] with his word and ultimately in the person of Jesus Christ. [28:37] And he says, here’s who I am. [28:40] Don’t just know about me. [28:42] Know me personally. [28:45] And then live life relating to God.

[28:49] Friends, when you grow in the knowledge of the word of God, [28:55] that’s meant not just to give you information overload, [28:58] but instead it is to build a relationship [29:01] with the God who is there and the God who saves.

[29:05] And understand that as you do this, [29:07] eventually your prayers will become [29:10] a full encounter with God. [29:13] The key term there is eventually. [29:16] Eventually. [29:18] I don’t know about you, but has any of you ever started

[29:21] a fitness program or a diet and on day two [29:24] you’ve already given up? [29:26] The headache won’t go away? [29:28] The body ache certainly doesn’t seem [29:30] like it’s going away either. [29:32] But if you stick to it, which clearly I’m struggling

[29:35] in that, eventually you begin to get fit. [29:42] Eventually your endurance goes. [29:44] Eventually it begins to feel good, believe it or not. [29:49] Haven’t experienced that part personally. [29:51] But I’m told by many.

[29:57] But so are our prayers. [30:01] You see, any time you begin to teach yourself [30:03] a new habit or any time you begin to teach yourself [30:06] a new discipline in which you’ve not put [30:09] this much effort into before, [30:11] it is going to feel very unnatural.

[30:16] No one naturally thinks it’s normal [30:19] to talk to a person who’s not there.

[30:23] Therefore it’s going to take you some time [30:26] to realize that his presence is there [30:29] and that he is hearing. [30:31] And that as you grow in the knowledge of his word, [30:34] this is beginning to affect my life [30:37] in ways in which I never knew it could.

[30:41] As you learn about God, you will learn about him. [30:46] But then as you experience God [30:47] and taking that knowledge to him in prayer, [30:50] you will also begin to grow in what is also vital [30:53] in your prayer life, you will get to know yourself more. [30:57] You see, prayer not only builds my knowledge of God,

[30:59] prayer also builds my self-knowledge. [31:03] As you learn about God, you will learn [31:05] who you are intended to be by God. [31:09] He’s created prayer to give us many of the unimaginable [31:14] things that he has for us. [31:16] You can only know them though through relationship with him.

[31:21] And any relationship is going to involve two things, [31:25] hearing and responding. [31:28] Hearing and responding. [31:30] But quite often we get ahead of ourselves [31:33] and we just respond.

[31:36] We just scream out, I don’t know anything about you [31:38] but I know a lot about me and that’s what you’re gonna get.

[31:43] Thankfully by God’s grace, we don’t have to depend on that. [31:47] Instead, we can depend on a God who has told us [31:50] about himself over and over. [31:52] And that is the emphasis that Jesus gives us [31:55] in the Lord’s prayer. [31:57] So I just wanna pause right now and I wanna read

[31:59] the Lord’s prayer with you. [32:00] Let it be our prayer today. [32:02] Jesus said, pray then like this. [32:04] So if God is telling you, pray like this, all right, [32:09] it could be a good model because it’s from the lips of God. [32:15] And so listen and read.

[32:18] Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. [32:22] Your kingdom come, your will be done [32:25] on earth as it is in heaven. [32:27] Give us this day our daily bread. [32:29] Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors [32:33] and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

[32:38] This pattern that God has given us in this prayer [32:42] has some of the things that we often will use [32:44] in our prayers but some of them will take life change [32:47] for us not just to ask for but for us to actually experience [32:52] and for us to desire that would lead us to pray [32:56] for these things.

[32:57] Theologian John Calvin boils the Lord’s prayer down [33:01] to three rules that Jesus gives us about prayer [33:04] because this is a pattern more than it is a prescription. [33:08] The first one is that notice that the Lord’s prayer [33:11] begins with fear of God. [33:14] Begins with fear of God.

[33:16] Now this is not terror but deep admiration [33:20] if you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ [33:23] because if you’ve trusted in Christ [33:25] the condemnation for your sin has been removed. [33:28] Therefore you don’t go to the presence of God [33:30] fearing punishment instead it is like hero worship.

[33:35] There is no terror but fear of doing something stupid [33:39] because you admire God so greatly. [33:42] I mean it’s like when the CEO of your company comes in [33:44] and you’re like oh please God don’t let me spill anything [33:46] on my shirt. [33:48] Even though that tends to be the day you do that.

[33:52] I don’t want to say anything wrong. [33:54] To be in his presence and I admire him so greatly. [33:58] Hallowed be your name, your holy. [34:02] But then secondly note that there’s an understanding [34:05] of spiritual insufficiency. [34:08] You’re not seeking your will.

[34:10] You need to know his will so that it can be done. [34:14] You don’t have that which you need. [34:16] So you have to go to him for every need that you have. [34:21] Summarized in the term daily bread. [34:23] You see friends Calvin writes that there is a sense [34:25] of need in prayer that will exclude what he calls

[34:30] all unreality. [34:32] In other words it will get rid of phoniness [34:34] and it will get real with God. [34:37] The fact that there are needs in your life [34:39] that only he can give you and so we need God to work. [34:43] Friends we must avoid phoniness in our prayers.

[34:47] We need God to lead us in our prayers [34:50] as well as in our life and we’re dependent upon him. [34:53] What that frees us to do is when we get with God [34:56] we can confess our sin openly. [34:59] We can repent of sin openly. [35:01] He knows what’s going on in your life.

[35:04] Therefore you are not going to shock him [35:07] with anything that you bring him. [35:09] When you go before God, God is not saying [35:12] well I hope he’s honest today [35:13] because I don’t know what’s going on.

[35:17] No, God knows and he knows that you are a person [35:22] marked by weakness where he and your relationship [35:25] with him is going on and so he knows that you need him. [35:30] Spiritual insufficiency is necessary for prayer. [35:34] You don’t have what it takes but God wants to give you [35:37] what it takes, that’s grace.

[35:40] Then third, there is a restful trust yet a confident hope. [35:46] A restful trust yet a confident hope. [35:48] And what Calvin means by this is that there is a trust [35:50] in prayer regardless of my circumstances. [35:54] Regardless of what’s going on in my life. [35:57] Whether I’m having a pleasant time in life right now

[35:59] or whether I’m going through some great difficulties [36:01] in my life, my prayers are marked by a trust [36:04] that God’s will is going to be done yet we pray [36:08] with a sure hope that our prayer will be answered.

[36:15] And you see those two things don’t contradict one another. [36:18] Instead they compliment one another [36:21] because God will not give you anything [36:24] that’s contrary to his will. [36:26] Therefore you are free to go and pray to him [36:29] about and for anything.

[36:33] Anything that you want, anything that you need, [36:36] you can take it before God because we believe [36:40] that he’s a good God and he will only give us [36:42] that which will actually aid us in the relationship [36:46] with the greatest gift that’s ever been and that is him. [36:50] Friends, don’t be afraid.

[36:53] You will ask for the wrong thing in prayer. [36:57] And the reason you shouldn’t be afraid of that [36:58] is because you’re going to ask [37:00] for the wrong things in prayer. [37:04] Just like our children do. [37:06] You’re going to ask for things that you don’t need.

[37:09] You’re going to ask for things [37:10] that you probably shouldn’t want. [37:12] But we have a loving God who is a loving Father [37:15] that will treat us like any loving Father [37:18] and loving God treats his people. [37:21] That is the God who will give us his will.

[37:24] There’s no magic code in prayer so I can’t offer you one. [37:30] There’s just simply trust [37:33] in a growing relationship with God. [37:37] That’s what prayer is all about. [37:40] Prayer needs to be a balance that you see [37:42] in the Lord’s prayer between praise, confession,

[37:46] thanks and petition. [37:48] Sometimes I have faltered in my way of thinking about prayer [37:51] that I think my prayers don’t count [37:53] unless I get all of those things in. [37:57] Unless it started with dear and ended with Jesus’ name. [38:00] Prayer didn’t count, I gotta restart.

[38:02] Oh, I forgot to praise. [38:04] Oh man, I forgot to ask him for that one thing. [38:07] Oh man, my prayers are terrible.

[38:11] That’s not a relationship.

[38:15] There are times where I just spend five minutes [38:17] in the morning praising God. [38:19] There are times because I’ve got young kids [38:21] that all I can do is read a psalm and say, [38:24] oh please God, I pray you heard that. [38:27] Because that’s all I got right now, I’m too tired.

[38:30] There are times when I have a great need, [38:32] I’m in the hospital and I just spend time petitioning him [38:35] because I just need him to work. [38:37] There are times when I’m overcome with the blessings [38:40] that God has given me, either just the fact [38:42] that he has saved me through his gospel

[38:44] which I don’t deserve or because of the wonderful blessings [38:47] that I’m experiencing right here and right now [38:49] with the great gifts that he’s given me [38:51] in my family and in this church. [38:53] So I just spend time saying thank you Lord, thank you. [38:58] But see too often when we forget about those vital means

[39:01] of prayer, all we do is say give me, give me, give me. [39:06] God did not mean for prayer to reduce him to our genie. [39:12] Calvin writes that the Lord’s prayer does not bind us [39:15] to its particular form of words but rather to its content [39:19] and basic pattern. [39:21] Friends, when was the last time you spent time just praising?

[39:26] When was the last time you just spent time thanking God? [39:30] You may not know this but every single Sunday [39:33] when we spend time singing to one another, [39:36] all of these songs have at its root prayers to God. [39:41] See prayer is a vital means of discipleship [39:44] that every one of us need to grow in

[39:46] but few of us actually spend time focusing on. [39:51] If you want to know how to pray, oftentimes maybe [39:54] you should just sit down and steep yourself [39:57] in the word of God. [39:59] Read a few verses and then look and say, [40:02] how can I turn this text into a prayer?

[40:06] The simplest way to start is to go to the book of prayers [40:09] which is the book of Psalms. [40:11] Just go through them and say, God this is my prayer to you [40:15] but oftentimes our scripture reading is boiled down to, [40:20] okay I gotta get through this chapter [40:21] or I gotta get through this part of my Bible reading plan

[40:24] and then as soon as we get to the chapter [40:26] and it says, okay where the corpse is [40:28] and the vultures will gather. [40:30] All right, I got stuff to do.

[40:36] But what needs to mark our lives in growing [40:39] and hearing God and in responding to God [40:42] is that we sit and we read and then we think.

[40:49] Then we respond. [40:52] See ultimately this is about more than a daily quiet time [40:55] which is vital but it’s about actually spending [40:59] the days, thoughts and nights of your lives [41:05] turning your focus towards God. [41:07] Because finally this morning understand that prayer

[41:10] seeks a heart sense of the presence of God. [41:15] Prayer seeks a heart sense of the prayers, [41:18] excuse me, the presence of God. [41:20] Prayer is not God’s voice discerned subjectively [41:26] in your heart. [41:28] It’s not that.

[41:29] Too many prayers are marked by frustration [41:32] because you don’t feel anything. [41:35] A heart engaged in all of God begins with trusting [41:39] that how God speaks is true and that he is working. [41:45] See God wants you to come before him [41:47] with the belief that he is there and that he is working.

[41:53] And in order to captivate our hearts [41:55] we must engage our lives with that type of trust. [41:59] We must meditate on his word by not just reading it [42:03] but by taking the time to sit and think about it. [42:08] It requires time. [42:10] Requires work.

[42:12] Requires growth. [42:13] And ultimately it requires trust. [42:16] Look at what Jesus says in Luke chapter 11. [42:19] If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts [42:22] to your children, how much more will the heavenly father [42:25] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

[42:29] See have you ever thought about this verse in the lens [42:31] that God is not just giving you an experience there [42:34] but he’s giving you something to trust? [42:36] To trust that there is no wasted moment with him? [42:41] Because he’s going to give you a good gift [42:44] because he loves you.

[42:45] Therefore if you take the time to turn to him in prayer [42:48] he’s not going to rebuke you for it. [42:51] He’s not going to allow it to be a wasted moment [42:53] but instead you must trust that he is working. [42:56] And don’t be afraid of the word meditation here. [42:59] Simply focus on the right things in it.

[43:02] Namely that God has revealed himself [43:04] and he has said things to us. [43:07] Scottish theologian P.T. Forsythe has written, [43:10] prayer brings with it as food does [43:12] a new sense of power and health. [43:17] A new sense of power and health.

[43:19] Is that how you view your prayer life? [43:22] Do you view it in the same lens [43:23] that you view the food that you eat? [43:26] That this is a necessity for you to grow? [43:27] That this is a necessity for you to survive? [43:31] See because prayer gives the energy that you need

[43:34] to follow Jesus and you’re not going to get it [43:35] without prayer. [43:37] You’re not going to survive without prayer [43:39] and you’re certainly not going to thrive without prayer. [43:43] You see ultimately prayer is communion with God [43:47] through engagement with theological truth.

[43:52] See Tim Keller calls prayer a dance between two things. [43:58] The first is my intellect. [44:01] Is that I have to know things about God [44:03] but the second is my experience. [44:07] That I was meant to ask the Holy Spirit of God [44:11] to help me experience the life of God

[44:16] and what I’m learning about him. [44:18] But when you’re learning information about God [44:21] becomes completely dry

[44:25] it’s probably because you’re not experiencing it. [44:28] And when your experience with God [44:30] seems to become something that you don’t understand at all [44:33] and you can’t imagine growing in [44:37] it’s because you need to grow in your knowledge of God. [44:41] Friends as we grow in understanding who God is

[44:44] so will our encounter with him in prayer [44:47] become richer and more meaningful.

[44:52] In John 14 13 Jesus looks to his disciples [44:56] and what really is his farewell address. [44:59] And he says whatever you ask in my name this will I do. [45:07] So that the father may be glorified in the son.

[45:13] See what he’s telling us is [45:14] is that your relationship with God [45:16] and everything that you communicate with God [45:18] that you get from him and that you give back to him [45:21] is about uniting your life with his glory. [45:26] That you need to live in the name of Jesus

[45:30] and faith in him and then you need to live [45:32] with the desires of the glory of God in mind [45:36] and that will grow your prayer life. [45:40] Prayer is taking the time to focus [45:43] by meditating on the fact that we are in the presence of God.

[45:50] Do not spend all of your time sitting there [45:53] trying to conjure his presence.

[45:58] A.W. Tozer wrote that prayer [46:01] is not about conjuring the presence [46:03] it’s about realizing that he’s already there. [46:08] And he’s ready and he wants to talk to you. [46:12] Wants to communicate with you [46:13] but you must reorient your view towards God

[46:17] as often as you can. [46:20] Friends, prayer and what I’ve learned about it recently [46:27] is that it is the greatest gift [46:30] that God gives us in this life. [46:35] And if you’re struggling with prayer, [46:38] you are not alone.

[46:42] The answer is not in a technique [46:45] rather the answer is in desire.

[46:50] You don’t have the time to pray. [46:53] Therefore you need to make the time [46:57] because God promises that none of it is wasted time. [47:02] As the band comes up, understand that the Lord’s Supper [47:07] is an offering of our life to God [47:09] through faith in the gospel.

[47:13] Every week here at Village Church [47:15] we reflect on the Lord’s Supper. [47:18] And what it means is that we realize [47:20] that we are a people marked by need of God [47:23] to work in our lives [47:25] and the bread and the cup represent God saying,

[47:30] come, get what you need from God. [47:34] Represents the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus. [47:37] And when you eat and when you drink, [47:39] what you proclaim to one another [47:40] is that you believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. [47:45] So if you’re in here and you’ve trusted in Jesus,

[47:49] there are tables in the front, tables in the back. [47:52] Come, cry out to God [47:55] and he gives you what you need, himself. [48:00] When you’re ready, come.