Environments of Movement.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Psalm 119. [0:04] Got a lot of heavy lifting to do today, so let’s get to it. [0:10] Today we’re going to continue in the series we’ve been going through for the past couple [0:14] of weeks, Starting Points. [0:16] And what we’re doing is, is we are taking a look, and it’s a great place to start our [0:20] year with, but what we’re really doing is, we’re looking at what are the things that

[0:25] we can begin to put into place in our lives so that we can grow in faith, so that we [0:31] can grow in our relationship with God. [0:33] And we talked on week one about the redemption that’s available only through Jesus, and [0:39] that you’re not going to find anything in this world that brings you satisfaction, [0:43] but that Jesus is our source of life. [0:46] And then we talked about the tensions of following Jesus in our second week, and then we talked

[0:51] about last week about what baptism and communion are all about in starting this journey and [0:57] in continuing this journey in a culture that is the church that is obsessed with the gospel, [1:03] that is furthering the work of redemption in our lives and in the lives of others. [1:08] Today I want to talk about two very important things, and that is scripture and prayer, [1:14] and the part that they play in our lives as we grow. [1:18] Now if you have any conversation with any person that probably proclaims to be a follower

[1:23] of Jesus, and you talk about growth, then you’re probably going to eventually, if not [1:29] immediately, go to reading your Bible and praying. [1:32] It’s just kind of those two things that, if you went to Sunday school as you were a child, [1:36] this is two things that we just talk about that are fundamental in how we grow, but there [1:42] are also two things that are probably some of the most difficult to kind of put into [1:47] place on a consistent basis in our lives.

[1:52] I know if you’re anything like me, you live a life of constant distraction from a computer [1:59] screen to a television screen to an iPhone screen, to I’ve even added a screen onto [2:04] my computer because one screen wasn’t enough, and some of you know what that’s all about, [2:08] where you have to have two computer screens just to contain the amount of work that you’re [2:12] doing or Facebook pages that you’re looking at. [2:16] Now some of you have like command centers in your house with multiple screens, and you’ve

[2:21] even got video games on one, cable on one, your computer on one, your iPad on another, [2:25] you’ve got your iPhone here getting text messages, and it’s like the show Portlandia, which [2:30] is on IFC, has a guy and they kind of make a joke, he gets stuck in this technology loop [2:35] where he’s just constantly going from one thing to another and he can’t stop. [2:40] To the fact that I’m trying to keep up with the playoffs in the NFL, the new season of [2:45] the NBA, who won the fights in UFC the other night, so NASCAR’s now doing testing in Daytona,

[2:52] and the Nationals might be able to actually get Prince Fielder on their team, and they’re [2:57] actually going to be on ESPN Saturday Night Baseball this year, there’s so many things, [3:01] and those are just the things that distract me from my children.

[3:05] Alright? [3:07] Then I add to that the stuff that I actually need to be doing, I need to work, I need to [3:11] talk to my son, I need to spend time with my wife, I’ve got to eat dinner, or there’s [3:15] three meals I need to get in, then I’m told I need to exercise, and I need to stay up [3:18] on the news that’s happening, we have presidential primaries going on, this is the newspaper, [3:23] and who should we vote for, who shouldn’t we vote for, there’s so many things in our

[3:27] lives that don’t just grab our attention, but seem to demand our attention. [3:35] And so, we by and large live very distracted lives, and quite often those things that distract [3:45] us the most are the things that are going to keep us from that which we really do need [3:50] to be focusing on in our lives.

[3:54] And so, some of the first things that kind of get pushed to the side in life are even [4:01] the fundamental things that we say, we believe the Bible is the Word of God, and I don’t [4:07] know that maybe there’s someone in here that would disagree with that, but I think by and [4:10] large there’s a consensus that we believe that.

[4:15] But what place does it have in your life? [4:20] Even those that don’t follow Jesus typically pray at some point. [4:26] And we believe that there’s this connection between us and the Creator of the universe, [4:32] and we can speak to Him. [4:35] But my question for you is, what place is that currently playing in your life? [4:41] So I don’t want to come to you today and give you just some tools for reading your Bible,

[4:46] I want to eventually get to that, but I don’t want to just come to you today and say this [4:51] is how you do it, I don’t want to come today and say this is how you pray. [4:55] What I want to do is I want to talk about really the question of why.

[5:01] When we talk about the fact that the scripture and prayer are chief means in our personal [5:06] lives that can develop us as followers of Jesus, we have to ask ourselves, what in the [5:12] world does reading a book and then seemingly talking to myself as if I’m talking to another [5:19] person, how in the world can that grow me any more than reading, say, chicken soup [5:27] for the soul and going and talking to a psychiatrist?

[5:33] And I want to start with talking about the fact that we must truly examine the lives [5:39] that we are living and ask if the practices or environments that we are creating in our [5:46] lives reflect a person that desires to grow into a deeper relationship with God.

[5:54] If you know anything about relationships or you’ve been married or in a dating relationship [5:58] for about 13 minutes, you know that communication and there are actually practices that you [6:06] need to implement in order to maintain that relationship, right? [6:11] I mean, don’t talk to your wife for like an hour, guys, and they’re going to be coming [6:16] to you saying what’s wrong. [6:19] So communication is important.

[6:22] Well, when we’re dealing with our relationship with God and we chiefly are right now, what [6:28] we’re dealing with is a relationship that is quite often neglected in our lives. [6:35] And so when we ask ourselves the questions of why am I not feeling closer to God? [6:41] When we sing these songs to him, why is it drab to me? [6:45] Why do I just want them to let me sit down? [6:48] Why am I just looking forward to lunch?

[6:50] Or why don’t I have this deep desire to be in a discipleship relationship with someone [6:55] that gets me closer to God? [6:57] Well, if we are chasing after a relationship with God, I think we need to look at those [7:02] things and examine what practices we put into place for that relationship to actually happen.

[7:10] And again, that always goes to if you have a conversation with anybody in the church, [7:14] well, Bible, prayer.

[7:19] And if you’re like me, you’re just going to say, that’s just too easy. [7:25] Why? [7:27] Why? [7:28] And so I want to talk about these two environments because you do have to put into practice [7:33] something to develop relationships.

[7:38] Has God said the scripture and prayer are two means by which to grow in him? [7:46] And if so, do I have to like get alone in a dark room at 4 a.m. reading the Bible? [7:55] And if so, how am I even going to maintain the rest of my day? [7:58] Because sometimes you ever had a conversation with someone that’s been a believer for like, [8:02] you know, 6200 years and they’re like, you know, I get up and I’m like, I’m going to [8:05] get up at 330 in the morning and have my prayer in my alone time with God.

[8:10] And you just look at them and you’re like, that is not happening in my life. [8:15] I’ll be honest with you. [8:17] You just like, I don’t know where you grew up. [8:20] You know, you probably walked to school uphill both ways or something, bro, but I’m not going [8:24] to do that. [8:25] That’s sleepy time.

[8:28] Or if you’re a parent, that’s time when you’re probably up feeding someone. [8:33] And I go, OK, maybe if I just have the iPhone in one hand, the baby in the other, I can [8:37] make this work. [8:38] No, come on. [8:41] Let’s have a real talk about this. [8:44] So first, I want to talk about the fact that we have to create environments that actually

[8:48] make this thing happen. [8:49] And the first thing I want to talk about this morning is the environment of scripture. [8:54] It’s not something that’s just going to happen. [8:57] There’s more in there than John 3 16, believe it or not. [9:01] I know some of you may have just been going on that one sentence. [9:05] I believe it is.

[9:06] But there’s more in there. [9:08] And some of you have gone to it and you’re like, there sure is, but it’s not that interesting.

[9:14] But why is this so important? [9:17] Well, open your Bibles in Psalm 119, and this is a place that I want to begin at. [9:22] And you may think it’s a bit odd, but I want to come at this from this angle starting in [9:26] verse 12 of verse 9 of Psalm 119. [9:31] How can a young man keep his way pure?

[9:36] By guarding it according to your word. [9:40] With my whole heart, I seek you. [9:42] Let me not wander from your commandments. [9:45] I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. [9:49] Blester you, O Lord. [9:50] Teach me your statutes.

[9:52] With my lips, I declare all the rules of your mouth. [9:55] In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. [10:00] I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. [10:04] I will delight in your statutes. [10:07] I will not forget your word.

[10:11] There’s a very important thing. [10:13] He talks about commandments. [10:14] He talks about precepts. [10:16] He talks about word. [10:18] And he begins with this idea of a young man keeping his way pure before a God that has [10:27] made himself known to him.

[10:30] Okay. [10:30] So the first thing you need you to understand about the scriptures chiefly if you’re in [10:36] this environment, the reason that you’re in this environment is the same reason that [10:40] the psalmist here is striving to know the word. [10:43] That is because the scripture reveals the character and actions of God.

[10:50] Okay. [10:52] It’s maybe a newsflash to you. [10:55] Maybe not. [10:56] The Bible is not chiefly a book about you.

[11:04] Maybe you have heard it referred to as kind of a manual for life. [11:08] It’s it’s you know, the God’s Roadmap. [11:11] It’s you know, it’s that type of thing. [11:13] And those things are there. [11:17] But that is not the primary reason for which God gave it. [11:22] The Bible is first and foremost the story of God.

[11:30] We see from the very beginning of scripture, God speaks the world into existence. [11:35] But there’s this something mighty about the words that God uses and the scriptures then [11:43] are the way in which he has chosen to reveal himself to all people. [11:51] That in this book, what we have from Genesis to Revelation is the story of the character [11:58] and actions of God.

[12:02] God has if you know anything about the scriptures in Romans one, it says that the world itself, [12:06] if you look around at the trees, at the plants, the mountains, at the seas, it screams out [12:12] that there is a creator.

[12:15] But the thing about all of those ways by which you can look to God, you can see his [12:21] handiwork in a sunset, but you cannot see who he is in that sunset. [12:28] The difference between the general revelation in the world that God exists and the specific [12:35] revelation in the scriptures is that God makes himself known specifically by communicating [12:41] directly to us. [12:44] In the way that I can know a little bit about my wife by how she combs her hair, but I

[12:49] can really know her if I’ll sit down and have coffee with her.

[12:55] We know people through communication.

[13:00] God has communicated with us through the scriptures. [13:05] And so the psalmist here writes that he desires to know God and he desires purity before [13:11] God because he knows that there is something inside of us. [13:15] Whereas God has put his image in us. [13:18] If you read Genesis one, two, and three, you realize that when God created us, he created [13:23] us a little different than the rest of creation by putting his image in us and interacting

[13:28] directly with us.

[13:32] And in that, he’s put inside of us this realization.

[13:40] That we need satisfaction on a level that we are not getting it. [13:49] We talked in week one about the way that we seek to fill ourselves with the things [13:53] that are offered in this world. [13:56] And Solomon says it so well at the end of his life when he says vanity, vanity, all [14:00] his vanity, or man, it’s all worthless in the end. [14:04] None of it satisfied me.

[14:05] I needed God.

[14:10] And so we come and we read the words of the psalmist here. [14:15] And so we could come to a conclusion. [14:19] Okay. [14:21] I would love to have God in my life. [14:23] I would love to delight myself in him. [14:26] I would love to have purity and I would love to not wander away from his commandments into

[14:31] the rebellion. [14:32] So here’s the answer.

[14:36] Memorize. [14:37] Read. [14:38] Digest. [14:40] Saturate myself with the Bible. [14:42] I’ll even throw my TV away. [14:44] I’m only going to have the Bible and I’m going to fill myself up with it.

[14:52] Okay. [14:52] Let me ask you a question.

[14:55] Have any of you been faithful to reading your Bible? [15:00] I mean, every single day of your life since you learned how to read. [15:06] No, none of you have. [15:09] Praise God, no one raised their hand. [15:10] That would have been awkward.

[15:13] Okay. [15:14] Except for that guy.

[15:17] No, none of you have. [15:19] If you’re anything like me, there was a time in college where I made this, this like [15:24] declaration because there was this professor and he was an older professor. [15:28] Brilliant. [15:29] He’s forgotten more in his life than I’ll ever know. [15:32] One of those kind of guys.

[15:33] And it was like March and he was like, I started a Bible reading plan [15:36] in January and I already finished it. [15:39] I was like, it’s March, bro. [15:41] Pace yourself.

[15:43] So I’m like, all right, I’m doing it, man. [15:46] I’m going to get through this whole thing in like three months. [15:49] It took me like three days and that was it. [15:53] Not, I didn’t make it through it. [15:54] I slept in the rest of the time. [15:56] It just didn’t happen.

[16:01] Just simply going to the scriptures and memorizing and pulling and reading. [16:06] It’s not going to make you pure. [16:10] You know what it’s probably going to do? [16:11] You’re not just going to read it and read it and read it. [16:13] Okay, less than okay. [16:14] Well, I’m getting more obedient.

[16:15] I’m going to know the point of this. [16:17] The book of Galatians tells us is when you do digest it, you know what you’re going [16:20] to find? [16:21] I am in far worse shape than I thought I was.

[16:27] Wow, there’s a lot wrong with me. [16:28] Let’s stop reading this. [16:31] What’s on the bestseller list? [16:32] I’ll read that.

[16:35] And so when we try these religious actions of just filling our lives with [16:42] disciplines, we’re going to be disappointed because you’re going to [16:47] find the truth about yourself and that is sin. [16:51] You’ve rebelled against God just like I have.

[16:56] So then it’s like, okay, what’s the point? [16:59] Look in Hebrews chapter 1. [17:02] I’m going to take you to two texts.

[17:05] It’s going to be up on the screen. [17:07] Hebrews chapter 1. [17:08] It says, long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers [17:12] by the prophets. [17:14] So here’s what the scriptures say. [17:15] It says God has revealed himself to us.

[17:17] When he says the prophets, he’s talking about the Old Testament. [17:22] It says God has spoken. [17:24] These are his words. [17:25] This is God’s revelation of himself to us. [17:30] But then he goes on and he says, but in these last days, he has spoken to us [17:35] by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he

[17:41] created the world. [17:42] He’s the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. [17:45] And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. [17:48] After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the [17:52] majesty on high. [17:54] What this what he’s talking about here is this fact that God revealed himself

[17:59] to us through prophets and he set up a stage and then he sent his son, Jesus, [18:06] to be the ultimate revelation of who he is. [18:09] That’s why John 1.1 says in the beginning was the word and the word was [18:11] with God and the word was God. [18:13] And then in 1.14 it says, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us.

[18:19] But he’s giving us this reality that the scriptures are the story of God and [18:24] the main character in the scriptures is Jesus.

[18:30] And the psalmist’s hope here was ultimately a revelation of the coming [18:37] God, who because we are imperfect, he came and was perfect and took our [18:43] imperfections onto him. [18:45] And the scriptures exist to point us to Jesus. [18:50] The scriptures do not exist so that you can be more religious. [18:55] The scriptures do not exist so that you can be more moral.

[19:00] The scriptures do not exist so that you can clean yourself off. [19:04] The scriptures exist so that you’ll know that by yourself and when you are [19:08] self-sufficient, you’re hopeless. [19:11] But that God in his love came to redeem us by his power because yours was [19:20] insufficient.

[19:24] That’s why in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23, it says, since you have been born [19:29] again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and [19:35] abiding word of God, for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the [19:40] flower of grass. [19:41] The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord stands [19:45] forever.

[19:45] And this word is the good news that was preached to you. [19:49] What Peter is saying there is that the complete condensed version of the word [19:54] of God comes to and goes from Jesus Christ. [19:59] That he is the ultimate revelation of God and that the scriptures exist as [20:04] the word of God to point you to him. [20:07] Because it’s from him that the word came to begin with.

[20:10] So it reveals to us the character of God as a Redeemer, the character of God [20:15] is righteous. [20:16] The character of God is completely holy and the actions of God as being [20:20] completely loving and completely redemptive for our sake.

[20:26] So if you want to know anything about the scriptures, if you want to know [20:28] anything about the why of the Bible, it’s to take us to Jesus. [20:33] So when you’re in the scriptures, realize it’s not about you. [20:39] It’s about God loving you.

[20:42] So you may be tempted then to come to a place that many have been at and that [20:47] I at one point struggled with. [20:50] And that’s this realization. [20:51] Okay, you got me to Jesus.

[20:56] That’s good. [20:57] See ya. [20:59] Now that I’ve got Jesus, I guess I don’t need it.

[21:02] So we have these kind of two polars. [21:06] And the first one is is that the Bible exists to make me more religious. [21:10] And the second one is is that Jesus exists to make me not need the Bible. [21:15] And that’s not true. [21:18] And so you see, but Steve, okay, if all of scripture is about grace, is about [21:22] ultimate forgiveness, is about the ultimate love of God, whom because I was

[21:25] imperfect and because I was unholy, Jesus came to give me his righteousness [21:30] through the cross to take my sin onto himself, to die for me, to raise [21:34] again to eternal life. [21:35] If it’s all of grace and none of my works, then why do I need to put any [21:40] effort in? [21:42] Great question.

[21:43] Good question. [21:44] I’m glad you asked it.

[21:49] When Jesus comes, when he gives us his life, he’s giving us the life of the [21:55] word of God to transform us into people who want to follow God, who want to go [22:01] to God and who want to live as we were originally designed to live. [22:04] And that is as worshipers of God. [22:07] So what does worship of God look like? [22:10] Well, scripture is the kindling of worship’s fire.

[22:18] I got that quote from a great pastor named John Piper. [22:22] I wish I’d come up with it. [22:23] I just don’t come up with anything good. [22:24] So I kind of take it sometimes and I give them credit, but it comes from him. [22:28] But it’s such an accurate statement. [22:30] And you may say this morning, you may say I’ve been in First Chronicles.

[22:33] It doesn’t seem like there’s much fire going on in there because I fell asleep. [22:38] But remember, what is the story of scripture from Genesis to Revelation? [22:42] The Ark, the main theme of scripture is the gospel of Jesus Christ. [22:46] And so what we’re doing here through the scriptures is we’re fleshing out the [22:50] validity, the truth and the actions behind the gospel. [22:54] So in the Old Testament, we see God working history towards Jesus.

[22:59] I tell you, if you want to understand Jesus, go to the Old Testament and go through it. [23:05] Because we see God work history in these amazing ways. [23:10] We see his sovereignty on display as we’ve never seen it before. [23:15] But then we come to Jesus and we go from Jesus and we say, OK, well, [23:19] why do I need to go to it over and over again? [23:22] Look in First Timothy, Chapter three.

[23:26] Second Timothy, Chapter three, excuse me, Second Timothy, Chapter three. [23:29] Starting in verse 12. [23:32] Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted [23:36] while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. [23:42] But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, [23:46] knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted

[23:51] with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation [23:55] through faith in Christ Jesus. [23:57] All scriptures, God excuse me, is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching [24:01] for a proof for correction and for training and righteousness sake [24:04] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. [24:09] So this work that God does in our lives through Jesus

[24:13] is not a work that is complete at the point of salvation, [24:18] but rather Jesus saves us completely [24:22] and then changes us through the journey of life. [24:26] So that we will become more and more saturated with a joy and a desire in him [24:33] that we did not know. [24:35] But the way in which Paul describes in this text that that will only happen

[24:40] is through a knowledge of God through his word.

[24:49] Ladies, if your husband takes no interest in who you are [24:55] and what you like and what you desire and what you want out of this world, [25:02] will your relationship of love grow?

[25:09] No, no. [25:10] Because what will it ultimately become all about? [25:12] It will become all about him. [25:15] Men, if your wife is disinterested in you, will your relationship grow? [25:20] The answer is no, guys. [25:21] The answer is no.

[25:22] All right. [25:25] Some of us are dense and we’ll give the wrong answer on that one. [25:28] I just want to be left alone. [25:30] Oh boy, yelzers.

[25:37] No. [25:39] How can you possibly expect to grow in your relationship with God [25:45] and your love for the gospel? [25:48] If you don’t know anything about it? [25:51] Or if your knowledge is not continuously growing?

[25:55] How? [25:57] It’s not going to happen. [25:59] So worship when you don’t know the character of God from the beginning of time. [26:07] It’ll just become drab. [26:09] It’ll become meaningless. [26:12] You will find more happiness in the things of this world than you find in God.

[26:19] When you don’t know who he is fully. [26:25] And it’s not that he’s not made himself known.

[26:29] It’s that you have not made yourself available to know him.

[26:36] Scripture is the way in which God makes himself known to us. [26:41] This is why Jesus says in Matthew 4 for man shall not live by bread alone, [26:45] but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. [26:48] Do you realize there that Jesus is quoting the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8 [26:53] in which he says, if you just eat manna your entire life, you’re going to eventually die. [26:58] But if you take the full words of God, you’ll have life.

[27:06] God has given us his word so that we can know him. [27:10] And if you know that in your life, okay, when you come to know Jesus, [27:15] what happens in your life is that you’re given his spirit. [27:18] Okay. And that’s what gives us hope. [27:21] That’s what gives us life is the fact that we’re given the Holy Spirit [27:24] and he will guide us and he will direct us.

[27:27] But that is not an effortless journey by us where we’re just kind of like robots [27:31] under command of the Holy Spirit, but rather he works within our nature [27:35] to develop and grow us into a life in which we love to follow Jesus. [27:38] And here’s what he says in Romans chapter 8, 5. [27:41] And I want to take you through three texts, excuse me, through two texts real quick [27:45] so that you’ll understand.

[27:46] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh. [27:52] Okay.

[27:55] But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

[28:03] So there’s this battle inside of your life between where are you going to seek [28:09] to live your life? [28:11] There’s one hand is the mind of the flesh that just simply seeks joy, pleasure. [28:16] Purpose in this world. [28:19] And then secondly, there’s the mind of the Spirit, but it says there. [28:25] That the Spirit has the mind of the Spirit.

[28:30] So you can either set your things on things of the flesh and on things of the Spirit. [28:33] So there may be a question then what are the things of the Spirit?

[28:39] Well, in. [28:41] Second Peter chapter one verse twenty one, and I think I forgot to send that one over [28:45] in second Peter chapter one verse twenty one. [28:47] So let’s take a journey because I don’t think this one’s going to show up on the screen. [28:51] That was my fault.

[28:53] Look in second Peter right quick.

[28:57] It’s towards the back second Peter chapter one verse twenty one. [29:02] Set your mind on things of the Spirit. [29:05] What are those things? [29:06] For no prophecy second Peter chapter one verse twenty one was ever produced by the will of man. [29:18] But men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. [29:26] But men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

[29:29] Peter here is talking about the way in which the scriptures were written. [29:33] So if you’ve ever had this mental struggle, [29:35] well, what does the Holy Spirit want? [29:38] What the Spirit’s guiding me? [29:39] Which decision is he making me choose?

[29:43] God’s will can be known. [29:46] To have the mindset of the Spirit, you must have a mindset that has stayed on scripture. [29:53] That’s why Jesus prays in John chapter 17 verse 17. [29:56] He prays for the church and he says sanctify them in truth. [30:02] For your word is truth.

[30:06] It’s driving us to the scriptures which contain the gospel. [30:12] Three questions then may come up. [30:15] Okay, and they should come up. [30:17] How should I read the Bible?

[30:19] So from reading the Bible, what do I ask myself? [30:23] Here’s three questions. [30:23] Ask yourself while you’re reading the scriptures.

[30:27] What does it tell us about God? [30:29] And what does it say about who he is and about what he does?

[30:35] Remember the scriptures about God. [30:38] Don’t try to find yourself in the Bible first. [30:41] You are not the main character. [30:43] God is. [30:45] Secondly, what does this text say about us human beings? [30:49] What are we meant to be and what has gone wrong?

[30:53] Trust me, you’ll see lots of things go wrong. [30:56] Number three, what has God done about this? [31:00] And what does he expect of us in light of what he has done? [31:07] The question should not be what would Jesus do? [31:10] The question should be what has Jesus done?

[31:14] Because he’s done it all. [31:17] He did it on the cross for you. [31:20] Okay, those are three questions that I think are very important [31:24] when we’re seeking to understand God through the scriptures. [31:28] The second environment I want to talk about very quickly today [31:31] is the environment of prayer.

[31:34] Prayer is vastly sought, vastly misunderstood, vastly misapplied. [31:41] Prayer, the first thing I want you to understand about prayer this morning [31:44] is that prayer flows out of your understanding of God. [31:49] That’s what’s going to dictate where your prayers go. [31:52] How you understand God is how your prayers will go. [31:56] If every time you pray, God, give me this, God, do this, God, I want this,

[32:03] God, I’m sick, heal me, God, do this, I have the sniffles, dry my snot up, [32:06] God, heal me, God, do this, God, do that, I need money, I need a job, [32:11] I need a new wife, I need a new husband, I need new kids, God, give me.

[32:16] Then your understanding of God is that he is a cosmic genie [32:20] and that he exists to just do what you want.

[32:25] That’s what you’re saying.

[32:28] Or there’s a polar opposite to that. [32:31] You sin big and you go to God because you’re afraid he’s going to give you cancer.

[32:38] I used to do that. [32:40] I would sin and then I would be like, [32:43] oh my goodness, God is going to get me hit by a car tomorrow or something [32:46] because of my sin. [32:48] God, I’m sorry. [32:50] Forgive me.

[32:52] That reveals an understanding that God is a dreaded taskmaster. [32:58] Neither of those polar views that are expressed in prayer [33:01] reveal the God of Scripture. [33:04] Neither of them do. [33:06] Maybe you went to one place and you saw this one time that God did this one thing [33:10] and you’re like, well, my entire view of God is by that one thing.

[33:15] See, the Scripture and prayer go hand in hand [33:18] because Scripture is going to reveal how you enter into a life of prayer [33:25] either by a full knowledge of it or a lack of knowledge of it.

[33:30] So how then should we pray?

[33:35] In Matthew chapter 6, and I want to move through this quickly. [33:39] In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says this. [33:45] Because typically I think it’s probably a good idea. [33:47] If Jesus literally says pray like this, [33:51] maybe something to pay attention to. [33:54] Pray then like this.

[33:55] Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. [33:58] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. [34:03] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts [34:05] as we also have forgiven our debtors. [34:07] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

[34:14] Jesus is not giving you the one prayer you’re allowed to pray.

[34:22] What Jesus is doing is expressing the whole counsel of God in one prayer.

[34:31] In this prayer, he expresses, if you really want to dissect it, [34:37] everything that God reveals about Himself in Scripture. [34:40] God is holy.

[34:44] God is our Father.

[34:49] God is moving history towards the establishment of His kingdom [34:55] forever and ever. [34:58] God is working and is alive and active in this earth as He is in heaven. [35:05] God desires to give unto you the greatest that He has. [35:10] That’s why He gave His Son. [35:12] He’s given you His Word.

[35:14] He wants to give you your needs. [35:16] It’s not that you can’t pray about what you want and what you need. [35:20] God wants to give to you. [35:23] God desires to bring the truth of forgiveness into your life [35:28] and then out of your life into the lives of others. [35:31] God desires to deliver us from the temptations that beset us

[35:37] as well as the evil that surrounds us. [35:39] And He will in His kingdom, but for the sake of the gospel.

[35:45] I have followed, and this is going to seem maybe silly to you, [35:49] but I want to be honest with you. [35:50] Since I was probably 19 years old, my prayers have followed a system [35:56] that I learned from a guy named Bill Hybels. [35:59] And it’s called the ACT way of praying. [36:03] And it’s from the Lord’s Prayer.

[36:05] Now, it’s not in the order that it is in the Lord’s Prayer [36:07] because if you know anything about preachers, they like acrostics. [36:10] So, you know, here’s the ACT. [36:12] The first thing is adoration. [36:16] When you look in the Lord’s Prayer, you’re going to see adoration. [36:20] You’re going to see, I love you, Lord, because of who you are.

[36:25] So when I pray, I just adore Him. [36:29] You know, one thing I’ve noticed about my wife is that she never gets sick [36:32] of me telling her she’s beautiful.

[36:35] You know?

[36:38] It’s not that it ever changes, but she never says, [36:42] well, you told me that yesterday, so can you come up with something new?

[36:47] You think God gets sick of hearing praises about who He is? [36:51] No.

[36:53] Confession. [36:55] When I see who God is, it tends to show me who I am. [36:59] It tends to reveal to me sin.

[37:02] So I confess to Him because I know He’s forgiven me on the cross. [37:06] And I know that if I never come face to face with my sin, [37:10] I’ll never get over my sin.

[37:13] Thanksgiving.

[37:15] He who has been forgiven much will be thankful much and will forgive much. [37:20] When I realize the forgiveness that He’s given me, I’m pretty thankful. [37:24] And so I thank Him.

[37:26] I thank Him for the cross. [37:28] I thank Him for the life that He lets me live. [37:30] I thank Him for the fact that He allows me to preach His Word. [37:33] I thank Him for my beautiful wife. [37:35] I thank Him for giving me a healthy son. [37:39] I thank Him for more love than I feel like I’ve ever deserved in my life

[37:43] and being surrounded by it all the time. [37:45] I even thank Him for you.

[37:49] There’s so much in my life to be thankful for.

[37:53] Supplication.

[37:55] I typically save this till the end, not because I have to. [37:58] Well, if I’m driving, this supplication just comes out. [38:01] Oh God, I don’t want to hit this person.

[38:04] But when I’m alone praying, I save my request till the end [38:09] because I’ve kind of found, and this is going to sound really lame,

[38:14] but I’ve found that if I save my request till the end, [38:17] by the time I’m done praising, confessing, and thanking, [38:20] I need far less than I thought I did.

[38:29] But maybe you can find yourself in a certain category. [38:33] You’ve tried to pray over and over, [38:38] and you either don’t think you can do it, [38:42] or you’ve asked God for some things that He hasn’t given you. [38:45] And you’re like, but the Scripture says I have not [38:47] because I asked not.

[38:50] And you’ve been disappointed by God [38:53] because He didn’t heal someone. He didn’t heal you. [38:57] Someone left your life that you begged Him to keep in it. [39:01] You were hurt when you begged God to not let you hurt.

[39:09] See, and I think these disappointments come from a posture [39:12] in which we often think that we know what’s best for us. [39:18] But I come to you today as a man who, you know, [39:21] I haven’t lived as long as some of you. [39:23] I’m in my 30s, and I’ve lived long enough to realize [39:26] that God’s plan is far more intelligent than my plan.

[39:31] And that prayer is about a life in which I take a posture [39:37] of dependency on God. [39:41] And I’ve asked God for things that He hasn’t given me. [39:44] I’ve asked God to heal people that He hasn’t healed. [39:47] I’ve asked God to not allow someone to leave my life [39:50] who has left my life.

[39:53] But I am not disappointed because quite often He reveals to me, [39:57] and some things He hasn’t revealed to me yet, [39:58] but quite often He reveals to me, that I was far better off [40:03] not getting what I thought I wanted.

[40:08] So it begs the question, what’s the purpose of Scripture? [40:10] And if you’re disappointed in Scripture, [40:11] if you go to 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17, [40:14] and we’re going to wrap up in a minute, I promise. [40:17] 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17. [40:19] We come to Paul, he gives me three words,

[40:21] and if you’re anything like me, what?

[40:27] Pray without ceasing.

[40:31] Here’s why I struggle with that, because I had an understanding [40:34] of prayer as it’s something that you do alone, [40:39] in a room, eyes closed, on your knees. [40:45] See, the Bible can’t be obeyed if that’s true.

[40:50] I have to go to work at some point. [40:53] I need to go talk to my children. [40:56] I can’t pray all the time.

[41:01] Yes, you can.

[41:05] Here’s why. [41:07] When Paul expresses this, [41:09] he’s not simply talking about the activity [41:12] of the discipline, of solitude, [41:16] which is you by yourself connecting with God. [41:21] That’s part of it.

[41:23] Because we see Jesus does that, we see the disciples do that, [41:26] we see all the Old Testament saints do that. [41:29] Hey, I get alone with my friends, [41:31] I get alone with my family to talk to them, don’t I? [41:34] So that begs to say, I should get alone with God. [41:38] Scripture doesn’t start saying, get alone with God.

[41:40] You just see people getting alone with God.

[41:45] Pray without ceasing is this reality that all of life, [41:48] in one way or another, is a prayer, [41:50] either to your detriment or to your benefit.

[41:54] That when you are independent from God, [41:56] and when you are self-sufficient, [41:58] do you realize that you’re praying, God, I don’t need you?

[42:02] When you don’t take your needs to God, [42:04] do you realize that’s a prayer, God, I don’t need you?

[42:08] When you avoid conversation with God, [42:10] that’s a prayer, God, I don’t need you.

[42:15] But when we go to God, [42:19] we’re expressing the reality that we need Him. [42:23] But how do we do that all the time, never ceasing? [42:27] Here’s how. [42:28] Just a couple of texts. [42:29] Ephesians chapter 6.

[42:32] Ephesians chapter 6, verse 17 and 18. [42:35] His prayer ultimately is a battle of the mind. [42:38] He’s giving the whole armor of God here, [42:41] and He likens and uses a symbolism of salvation [42:45] being like a helmet. [42:47] And take the helmet of salvation

[42:49] and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, [42:52] praying at all times in what? [42:55] In the Spirit. [42:57] Mind stayed on the Spirit. [42:59] Spirit wrote the Scripture. [43:00] The Word of truth is Scripture.

[43:04] With all prayer and supplication. [43:07] To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, [43:10] making supplication or requests for all the saints. [43:15] Romans chapter 12, verse 2. [43:17] Do not be conformed to this world, [43:20] but be transformed by what?

[43:22] The renewal of your mind. [43:25] That by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, [43:29] what is good and acceptable and perfect.

[43:38] Your mind is the most powerful force in your life. [43:48] With your mind, you make all of the decisions with your life. [43:52] You just can’t help who you love. [43:54] The heart does crazy things. [43:56] You made a decision with your brain who to love. [43:59] Stop that!

[44:01] Kids, love’s a choice. [44:02] It’s not some feeling that you can’t control.

[44:07] The brain can lie to us when we believe falsehoods. [44:13] The brain can be the greatest force of change in your life [44:17] when you believe the truth. [44:19] The mind is the source of prayer.

[44:24] And the scriptures say, [44:25] if you want to begin to start a life of change with the gospel of Jesus, [44:31] you must begin to do it with your mind. [44:36] Because that is where it starts. [44:38] That is where you make your decisions. [44:39] That is where you choose what to love, who to love,

[44:42] how to live is in your brain, guys. [44:48] He says, the helmet of salvation.

[44:53] Because if we’re going to change, [44:56] we must realize that God wants to begin through the Spirit [45:00] to get through to our hard heads that we need change.

[45:08] Because some of you don’t believe that you do. [45:11] You want to walk through life with no knowledge of God, [45:15] no communication with Him through prayer, [45:18] no back and forth and you think you’re okay. [45:22] You need a change of mind.

[45:26] You need the mindset of the Holy Spirit that is only available [45:28] through an absolute dependency on God [45:31] and a life lived in love with Him.

[45:36] Here’s the truth. [45:38] Romans 12, 2, when it says, [45:40] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, [45:43] that by testing you may discern what is the will of God. [45:46] Understand that the discernment to know what is good [45:49] and acceptable to the will of God is prayer.

[45:53] Do you realize that when you make wise decisions [45:55] based on the truths of Scripture, that’s prayer. [45:59] When we use God’s wisdom through His Word, we’re praying. [46:02] When we seek to live His mission in the world, we are praying. [46:05] When you look to be a missionary at your job, you are praying. [46:08] When you seek to lead your family into a life of gospel mission,

[46:13] you are praying. [46:14] When you receive the grace of God to move from the baggage of your past [46:18] into the righteousness of Jesus through what He has done on the cross, [46:22] you are praying. [46:24] This is all transformation of the mind that will lead to a life [46:28] that is stayed on the gospel.

[46:35] All of life in your mind can be prayer for the gospel, [46:45] but it will take change.

[46:53] The change that God has revealed to us through His Word [46:59] is that He desires to know us and be known by us,

[47:07] not as a dreaded taskmaster, not as a cosmic genie,

[47:12] but as a loving Father who has a plan for our lives [47:16] that He desires for us to get up and walk into [47:20] through the grace that’s available through Jesus.

[47:26] This is communication with God, and your mind will begin to simply turn to Him [47:32] over and over again because you know how dependent on Him for life you are. [47:41] You’ll praise Him. You’ll thank Him. You’ll confess sin to Him. [47:47] And you will begin to see a pattern of begging Him [47:51] for more and more through the gospel because you know that the only good [47:56] you will ever truly get will come from Him.

[48:02] This will change your life.

[48:09] As the band comes up this morning,

[48:13] my desire is not simply that you’ll toughen up [48:21] and get in the Word and toughen up and start praying more. [48:28] My desire for you this morning is to realize who you are and who He is, [48:35] that He is God and you are His creation. [48:38] And He loves you far more than you know He does.

[48:45] He loves you enough to send His Son to die for you. [48:47] He loves you enough to take your sin off of you and put it on to His Son [48:51] and give you the perfect righteousness of His Son Jesus.

[48:56] And He’s revealed Himself to us through His Word.

[49:00] And I tell you this morning, when I was in my twenties, [49:03] some things happened in my life where I just realized one day, [49:08] I came awake to the gospel.

[49:12] I said, if a God like that could love a guy like me, [49:19] I want to know Him. I want to know Him.

[49:24] He can be known through His Word. [49:28] Is it going to be hard work? Yeah. [49:32] But guess what? You’re not alone. [49:36] Because not only does He give you His Son, but He gives you His church.

[49:41] And He equips some of us with the love and the ability [49:47] to help you understand those parts of the Bible that you don’t get [49:50] or why those boring parts that are really bloody are there.

[49:55] You’re not alone.

[49:58] We want to help you. [50:00] And the Spirit wants to guide you into a loving relationship [50:05] with God through Jesus for the rest of your life.

[50:12] Right now we’re going to reflect on communion.

[50:16] God’s symbol for sacrifice of His Son through His broken body and His shed blood. [50:22] The reason is we take the cracker and the juice into our lives. [50:26] It symbolizes the life of Jesus coming into ours [50:30] and this continuing ethic that we talked about last week [50:33] of a gospel-centered culture of redemption that we desire to have here at the village. [50:38] And Scripture and prayer are huge parts of that culture here.

[50:44] If you’re not a believer, I ask that you come up and talk to me. [50:47] Go to the back. Talk to someone back there. [50:51] Maybe today for the first time you can come to God’s table [50:55] and know why you’re doing it. [50:57] But if you’re a follower of Jesus and you’re here, [51:01] God has taken down every barrier that will keep you from His presence.

[51:07] Reflect on communion today.