"Let's Make A Deal"
Matthew 6:19-21
Sunday, Novermber 5, 2006

Introduction: In the early 1960’s there was a game show called “Let’s Make A Deal.” This show was hosted by Monty Hall, and was made popular by contestants trying to win what was behind one of three doors. Typically there was a really nice prize (ie. a car) behind one of the doors and a not-so-nice prize (ie. a goat) behind the other two. After selecting a door, Monty would then proceed to open one of the doors they didn't select. It is important to note here that Monty would NOT open the door that concealed the car. At this point, he would then ask if they wanted to switch to the other door before revealing what they had won.

LET’S TAKE A MOMENT AND PLAY THIS GAME A LITTLE!

I. The Price Tags Have Been Changed- (Matthew 19:16-22)

a. Changing values- There is a true story about some thieves who broke

into a jewelry store one night. They didn’t take anything, they simply switched all of the price tags. The next day no one could tell what was valuable and what was cheap. When the thieves came in posing as customers, the expensive jewelry had suddenly become cheap, and the costume jewelry was suddenly of great value. It took a while for the Jewelry store employees to discover that this switch had been made. In the meantime, the thieves got away with thousands of dollars of jewelry for almost nothing.

If you look around the world you can see that this is happening in real life. What should have value doesn’t seem to anymore, and what shouldn’t have value seems to have increased in value. Just on a business level, it is not the main product that is of great value any more. For example, software companies have lowered the price on their products because they realize that the real money comes from customer service and technical support./ A couple of years ago many of the theme parks (Sea World, Universal Studios, and others) were allowing people to receive an annual pass for the price of a single day admission. WHY? Because the parks know that the real money is what gets spent on food and concessions once a family is in the park. THE PRICE TAGS HAVE BEEN CHANGED.

We can look at it in what we support in this world. We value entertainment, and so we will pay a great amount of money to go to the movies and purchase DVD’s. We also love sports, so we will pay a good amount of money to go and see our favorite sports teams play. Because of this entertainers, athletes, and corporate executives make millions and millions of dollars, while a teacher (who teaches our children) barely makes enough to support their family. Now I’m not necessarily saying that these things are bad, but we don’t support the things we really should support. THE PRICE TAGS HAVE BEEN CHANGED.

When I was a kid I used to play my own version of “Let’s Make A Deal” with my mom. I would go up to her and literally say: “Okay mom, let’s make a deal. I know that I’m not supposed to get to go out today, but if I clean my room and do my homework, and promise not to do what I did again, can I go see a movie with my friends?”/ And it was amazing how often I could talk my mom into letting me do what I wanted. You see, I didn’t value what my mom was trying to teach me when she was disciplining me, I only valued what I wanted to do. And we do this all too often in life.

b. The rich man- The rich man- READ Matthew 19:16-22. “Now a man

came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

Here we have a story of a rich young ruler. He had wealth, position, and power. He had all the things that he valued. But then he realized that there was something else in life that could be of value, and that was eternal life. Now that he had all that he wanted, now that he had achieved what he believed was important, he was now thinking about that time after he died. And so he posed this question to Jesus: “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” It is interesting to see how he words this question: “What good deed.” In his life it was hard work that got him what he wanted. He was assuming here that a good deed, that hard work, that doing the right things could lead him into heaven.

So Jesus starts off by playing the game with him by listing off some of the commandments. And the rich young ruler confidently states that he has kept all of these commands. Now Jesus could have easily called the man on this, because nobody can keep all the commandments perfectly; we all struggle in life. But I think Jesus didn’t go there because it wouldn’t have made the point He was trying to make. Jesus knew that eternal life comes from valuing faith in Jesus, and a true desire to follow Jesus. And Jesus knew that if we value money and possessions, then we can’t have faith and we won’t have eternal life. So Jesus tells the man basically to get rid of what you value now so that you can come to value what is really to be valued.

II. What is the real treasure?- (Matthew 6:5, 19-21, 13:44-46; 1 John 5:12)

a. Where is your heart? Which leads us to the scripture I read at the

beginning of the sermon; Matthew 6:19-21, which talks about what we should treasure. Jesus tells us that what we should treasure is that which has eternal value; that which can be stored in heaven; that which cannot be stolen or broken, or consumed.

But before I talk about what this treasure is, let us understand how we know what we treasure. And Jesus tells us that there is a simple test; your heart. Your heart determines for you what is of value to you./ EX. If you have ever seen an action/adventure movie, you know that there is always a scene where the bad guys are trying to manipulate the good guy into giving them what they want. And so they threaten his life. But since the good guy is always tough, he won’t give in to this threat. So then the bad guys change their strategy, and they threaten to harm his wife and kids. This gets the desired result, because the good guy values his family above himself; his heart shows what he truly values.

This is true for us as well. We can talk a good game about what we value, but in the end, our heart will lead us to what we truly value, and our heart will determine where we spend our time, money, and energy. So the key is for us to figure out what should be of great value, so that we can make sure we set our priorities straight, and put our time, money, and energy toward that which matters.

b. Great Value- So what should be of great value to us. That which can

be stored in heaven; that which has eternal merit. In Matthew 13:44-46 we are told by Jesus, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of heaven is what is important. And while the Kingdom ultimately will be fully experienced in heaven, we can experience it here on this earth and have an impact on it here on earth. We can have impact in several ways: supporting the church with our money so that the church can be a place of teaching and training and leading people in the Kingdom./ The church is to be the place where we are sent from to go out into the world to share the love of Jesus, which is the second way we can impact the Kingdom here on earth. As we just learned in the Lord’s Prayer the last couple of weeks, God wants to see His Kingdom taking shape. And it is our living out God’s will, and sharing God’s love and the message of salvation that helps those around us to live it out as well.

And so we see that things like love, loved ones, and the message of salvation are what cannot be stolen or destroyed, and what will last for eternity. These are the things that we should treasure in our hearts, and this is what we should value.

c. Reward- And Jesus tells us that we will get our just reward in the end.

But the problem is, when we seek the wrong treasures, we will get wrong rewards. In Matthew 6:5, Jesus tells us not to be like the Pharisees when they pray. When the Pharisees prayed, they would stand out in public, and they would have the elaborate outfits that made them appear to be holy, and they would lift their hands to the Lord to get attention, and they would pray out loud with fancy language to sound all spiritual. But of this action, Jesus said: “…Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.” Their reward was the false public adoration they received, instead of having the reward of God hearing their prayers and answering their prayers.

Or the reward Judas, who was upset that Jesus wasn’t leading the Jews to overthrow the Romans. Judas had hoped that he would gain wealth and power. But in the end when he realized that Jesus was not going to do this, Judas betrayed Jesus and turned Him over to the Romans. Judas’ reward was grief, which led him to suicide!

But when we seek after the right treasure, then we will get the right reward. And there is so many scriptures that show us this promise, we don’t have time to talk about them now. But here are a couple: 1 John 5:12, “Whoever has the Son, has life…” The life that is talked about here is eternal life. When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the guaranteed reward is eternal life. And also, the 2 great commands of Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor like yourself.” Jesus tells us that there is no greater action than to love, and we are created to love God and each other. When we do this, the reward is peace, joy and satisfaction in life. And this will carry over into heaven!

Conclusion: Let’s Make A Deal. We began this time together playing the old Let’s Make A Deal game. And we had some fun, and some of you gained some prizes. Prizes that you can either use yourselves, or pass on to someone who can. But more important than these prizes, is having love, joy, and peace fill our lives. More important than material goods is having the rewards of heaven. So here is the deal: you can choose door 1 or door 2. Door 1 is the door which is seeking after the things of this world (wealth, power, material goods, fancy trips, big cars, etc…), but door 2 is the door to the Kingdom of God (sharing love, giving forgiveness, being content with what we have, eternal life). If you would choose door 2, if you would treasure door 2, then the Bible promises that you will have a great reward in heaven. Which door do you choose? I choose door 2. Amen.

"Are You A Leader or a Follower?"
The Lord's Prayer Series: Part 4
(Matthew 6:9-13)/ Sunday, October 29, 2006

Introduction: Chuck Swindoll, a well known Evangelical Free pastor, once said: “Where there is no temptation, there can be little claim to virtue.” (C. Swindoll, "Sanctity of Life," Word, 1990, p. 51) Temptation is a part of life. But if we want to gain character and strength, if we want to be able to live for God, we have to learn how to let God lead us past the temptation that exists. Satan wants to trip us up and keep us from living a life of following Jesus. In fact we are reminded in 1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” And yet we are given great words of encouragement in 1 Corinthians 10:13,“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

This morning we finish our series on the Lord’s Prayer with the phrase: “And lead us not into temptation, but keep us from evil.” Up to this point we have talked about how the Lord’s Prayer is about focusing our prayer on God, being committed to seeing God’s Kingdom come about more in this world, and seeking God and His will for our lives, trusting faithfully that God will provide for us, not necessarily what we want, but all that we need. / In this last phrase, it is still about trusting, but trusting that God will give us the power we need to be guided into the right paths.

I. The Pull of Temptation- (Matt. 4:1-11, 6:13; Genesis 22:1-18; Heb. 12:2)

a. Does God lead us into temptation? When you look at the Lord’s

Prayer, you can see that it is actually a theological statement on the nature of God; a nature which includes who God is, what God desires for the world, God’s providing nature, and God’s presence in our lives in regards to temptation and testing. Jesus teaches us, with this last phrase, that God would not lead us into temptation.

I think for many of us, this might sound like a strange petition; “lead us not into temptation.” Why would God even think of leading us into temptation? The Bible tells us that God is a compassionate God; one who sees our suffering and rescues His people from their bondage. In the Psalms we are told that the Lord is our Shepherd, and we shall not want. Also, that God “hears our cries and lifts us up out of the slimy pit to set our feet upon a rock.” Does this same God seek to lead us into trouble and tribulation? Would God take us to the place of temptation where we might slip and fall?

One of the challenges of understanding the Bible, is that sometimes when the translation from the original language is translated into English, the English word (or phrasing) might seem to have a different connotation to us than the Greek had intended to mean./ But we can check this fairly simply. All you have to do is go back to the Greek and see what the Greek word means. Now if you don’t understand Greek or how to interpret the Greek, then there is another, simpler way. This simpler way is to look at different versions of the Bible (New International, Revised Standard, King James, etc…) and see what words were used for the Greek word.

For example: the New Revised Standard version says: “And do not bring us to the time of trial…” The Modern English Bible says: “Do not bring us to hard testing…” The King James version and the New International versions say: “And lead us not into temptation…”/ So, by doing this study we can see that the words used were temptation, trial, and testing. And by doing a little more studying, we can see that it is referring to the kind of testing that challenges us in order to strengthen us.

When Abraham took his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him to God, Abraham was having his faith tested by God. And by faithfully going there, God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead of Isaac. Before Jesus started His ministry, He went out into the wilderness to be tested. Jesus was able to avoid the temptations of Satan. By passing the test, Abraham, and Jesus, and others gained strength and self-discipline. And each time we overcome our temptations, we gain strength to be able to serve God more faithfully.

So, in praying this, we are not asking God to take us into trials or temptations that we cannot bear, but to that we will not go into these trials and temptations alone; we are praying that God will give us His power as we encounter these temptations. In other words, we are saying: “God, do not lead us into trials without your help!”

b. Learning obedience- Illus.: “Leslie Dunkin and his dog.” If you have

ever owned a dog, you will appreciate this next illustration. A man named Leslie Dunkin tells a story of a dog he owned when he was a little boy. Periodically, Leslie’s father would test the dog’s obedience. It is a test you have probably seen before. He would place a tempting piece of meat on the floor and give the command, “Stay.” The dog, which like all dogs loved meat, must have had a tremendous desire to go for the meat. The dog was placed in a quandary of whether or not to go for the meat, or obey his master. But Dunkin says that his dog never even looked at the meat. Dunking thought that the dog did this, because if he looked, the temptation would have been too great. So the dog would look at Dunkin’s father’s face instead.

The challenge for us is that temptations do exist. In fact, there was a recent survey done in Discipleship Journal where the readers ranked areas of the greatest spiritual challenge to them. Here are the top 10…1. Materialism; 2. Pride; 3. Self-centeredness;

4. Laziness; 5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness; 7. Sexual lust; 8. Envy; 9. Gluttony; 10. Lying.

The survey respondents also noted that the temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God and when they were physically tired. Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer, avoiding compromising situations, Bible study, and being accountable to someone. (Discipleship Journal, November/December, 1992)
To overcome the temptations in our life, we need to not look at the temptation, but rather to keep our eyes focused on Jesus; the author and perfector of our faith. To pray this petition, “lead us not into temptation,” means that we trust that God knows our breaking point better than we do. We are praying for God to not lead us past this breaking point; we are praying that God would help us to trust and cling to Him, so that we might stay faithful; we are praying that God would overwhelm us with His presence and saving strength. This is what the Lord teaches us to pray!

II. Overcoming Evil- (Matthew 6:13)

a. Christ the King- One of the books my kids’ love to read is the

Frog/Toad stories. The series is about the adventures of 2 friends: one a toad and the other a frog. In one particular story, Toad has baked some cookies. The smell causes him to eat one of the cookies, which tastes so good he runs over to Frog’s house so that Frog can enjoy them too. Frog eats a cookie and loves it so much that he has to eat another one. Together Frog and Toad eat many cookies. But then Frog says: "You know, Toad, I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick." Then Toad responds: "You are right. Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop." So they eat one last cookie, but there are still many cookies left in the bowl, tempting them. So they have another./ Frog suggests to Toad: “To stop eating we must have willpower.” “What is willpower?” Toad asks. “ "Willpower is trying hard not to do something you really want to do," says Frog. "You mean like trying hard not to eat all these cookies?" asks Toad. "Right," says Frog. And so frog puts the cookies in a box. But they know that they can still open the box. So then Frog ties some string around the box. But they know that they can cut the string. So Frog puts them up on a high shelf. But they know they can still get them with a ladder. So Frog puts the cookies outside for the birds, and the birds fly off with them. "Now we have no more cookies to eat," says Toad sadly. "Not even one." Then Frog says: "Yes, but we have lots and lots of willpower." To which Toad replies: "You may keep it all, Frog, I am going home now to bake a cake." (Ray & Anne Ortlund, Renewal, Navpress, 1989, pp. 73-74.)
To overcome, we need help. We have to admit that we cannot heal the brokenness of our sin on our own. We have to understand that Christ is to be the King, the ruler of our lives. And as we think about the question which is raised by the title of the sermon, “Are you a leader or a follower?,” hopefully the answer is that you are a follower; a follower of Christ the King.

Who gives us strength when we are feeling weak? JESUS CHRIST. Who guides us in right paths when we go astray? JESUS CHRIST. Who picks us up when we fail or fall? JESUS CHRIST. Who is there to help us to overcome the evil in the world; the evil in my life? JESUS CHRIST. As the well known writer C. S. Lewis once said: “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” That is what Jesus does for us.

b. Life governed by Christ- Jesus knew that people could become

defeated in life. He saw that defeat take place in people’s live through physical disease, monetary wealth, and confused priorities. Time and time again He saw people not living the abundant life He had come to give. Jesus knew that to have abundant living, we would need to not only know the Lord’s Prayer, not only pray the Lord’s Prayer, but live out the Lord’s Prayer. This last phrase of the prayer, “but deliver us from evil,” tells us that to have abundant life, we must overcome evil, and this evil can only be overcome by celebrating the holiness of God, celebrating the intimacy we have with God, setting aside our will for God’s will (a will which comes to us from heaven), and being centered on a trust that God will provide for our needs.

This closing petition should not be a surprise to any of us, for this petition demands from each one of us the recognition that this world is filled with evil forces and evil powers. It is a petition which clearly recognizes that we do live in a world which none of us ever escapes involvement with, nor the consequences of, these forces of evil. Without this final petition, the prayer would not be complete, because we have to acknowledge the existence of evil that can be at work in our lives. For Jesus to ignore this reality would not be helpful to us, because this area of life is what can trip us up the most.

And so, in the midst of such powers of evil, our Lord teaches us to pray that the Father would deliver us from evil; the evil that to our dismay, sometimes thrives in this world. It is like the story that Jesus told of a farmer who spends his entire life cultivating his field and then planting good seed, only to discover that all along there is an evil force at work to destroy all of his good efforts./ As we live in this world, we live in a world where evil can affect us, and that we, in many ways, are powerless on our own to bring about our own deliverance from it. But this prayer reminds us that evil does not win; Christ is the victor, and in Christ we have victory as well.

Conclusion: A couple of weeks ago the St. Louis Cardinals beat the N.Y. Mets in game 7 of the National League Championship series, IN NEW YORK! This was largely because of a man named Jeff Suppan. Suppan is a pitcher for the Cardinals, and he pitched so well in the seventh game (as well as in an earlier game the Cardinals won) that he was voted the MVP of the series. Now, when he got this award, was he the only one celebrating? NO. The who team was celebrating, because they knew that by his strength, he helped the team to victory, and into the World Series! Even though he was the MVP, it was considered a team effort.

Jesus is our MVP, because He is the one who makes victory possible. But we are ALL a part of the winning team! Through faith in Christ we have access to the power of God which enables us to overcome temptation and evil. Through faith in Christ we have the understanding we need to live life with fullness and depth and meaning.

As we close, think about these questions: What settings are you in when you fall? Avoid them. What props do you have that support your sin? Eliminate them. What people are you usually with? Avoid them. There are two equally damning lies Satan wants us to believe: 1) Just once won't hurt. 2) Now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond God's use, and might as well enjoy sinning./ As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said: "Learn to say no. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin." Now you might ever thought knowing Latin would be important, but in Spurgeon time it was important. The point is, as we trust ourselves to Jesus Christ, He will help us to say “NO,” and that is greatly important. May we leave here today with a renewed hope that we can overcome temptation and evil, this day and every day, as we follow our savior and Lord Jesus. Amen.

"Satisfaction Guaranteed"
Matthew 6:9-13
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The Lord's Prayer Series: #3

Introduction: Illus. “ A Kitten from Heaven.” A pastor finds a kitten in a tree, but cannot coax it down. The tree is not sturdy enough to climb, so he ties a rope to the tree and to his car and slowly lowers the tree. It is almost low enough to grab the kitten, but then the rope breaks and the kitten is flung through the air. The pastor feels terrible, but cannot find the kitten. He prays that the Lord will watch over it. A couple of days later a mother is telling the pastor how her daughter had been asking her for a cat. The mother told the girl that if God brought her a cat, she could keep it. The daughter then decides to go in the back yard, kneels down and begins to pray to God for a cat. And then the mother says to the pastor: “Pastor, I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but suddenly a kitten came flying through the air, paws outstretched, and landed right in front of her!”

This morning we look at the third phrase of the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus says: “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…” If we were to visualize the Lord’s Prayer in 2 parts, the first part would be what God may properly expect from us (things like respect for God’s holiness, commitment to God’s Kingdom, and obedience to God’s laws and will), and then the second part is what we may properly expect from God (things like provision for our physical needs, liberation from our bondage to sin, and deliverance from the powers of evil).

I. Give us this day- (Matthew 6:11, 34; James 4:14-15)

At first glance, this request “Give us this day our daily bread,” seems simple enough. But it is actually a little more complex than we might imagine. This request centers around the understanding of the 2 words "daily," and "bread."

a. Today or tomorrow?- One of the unique problems in deciphering the meaning of the word "daily," is that the Lord's Prayer is the only setting in the Bible where this word is used. The Greek word that is translated as daily is episousios. One way to understand the meaning of a word, is to compare how it is used in other parts of the Bible . We can't do that here.
So what does it mean? Well, the debate is whether this word “daily” is referring to the present time of today, or future time of tomorrow. If the word has meaning for the present time, then what Jesus might intend for us is that this is a prayer for the moment; it is a prayer for us to understand that we can trust God’s faithfulness today.
But if the word refers more to the future time, then what Jesus intends for us, is that this is a prayer for tomorrow; for God’s providing for us in the coming days. And yet, couldn’t it be that this word is for today and tomorrow? Couldn’t Jesus mean that He will provide for us not just for today, but for tomorrow as well?

b. Ongoing providing- Scripture does talk about the future and the hope

that we are to have for the future, but if we get caught up in living for the future, then we forget about the present. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:34- “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of it own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” When we live for tomorrow, it can bring us unneeded worry and anxiety. When we live for tomorrow, we can miss out on what today has for us.

EX. “The movie: Click”- I have not seen the movie “Click,” starring Adam Sandler, but I do know that the premise of the movie is about an over-worked architect (Adam Sandler) who finds a remote control with special powers. The remote allows Sandler to fast forward and rewind his life. In one part of the movie the remote control gets stuck and a large part of his life goes by very quickly. He then realizes how precious each moment of life really is!

I believe that Jesus wants us to be concerned with today. Give us this for today, should be our request. We do not know what tomorrow holds, so why worry about tomorrow? Let us pray for God’s provision today, trusting that if tomorrow comes for us, then it is a new opportunity to turn to God and trust God.

As James tells us in James 4:14-15, “Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring… Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’”

Gregory of Nyssa, who lived in the forth century, once made this comment: “He who gives you the day, will also give you the things necessary for the day.”

II. Our daily bread- (Matthew 6:11)

The second word we need to understand is the word “bread.” Now this

would appear to mean food, since we eat bread as a food substance. But did Jesus mean it to be used as a symbol for something greater, something significantly larger, something much more eternal? I believe so. So, let’s look at 4 items that will help bring this into better perspective.

1. Dependency- First, what matters most in our lives, in the eternal

perspective, is our dependency on God. One of the dangers of living in the society we live in, is that we can believe that we can make it on our own; that we are self-sufficient; that our future is in our hands; that we make our own destiny; that we are the providers of our own sustenance. But in doing this we forget about God.

The Israelites had this same struggle. They would turn away from God, their

LORD and creator, and forget how God had rescued them out of slavery from Egypt. Time and time again we read in the Bible how the Israelites had to remember the days of old and how God provided for them. When they did this, it caused them to again let themselves become dependent on God.

In teaching us to pray this simple petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” Jesus is telling us to remember that God created us not for independence, but for dependence upon Him. Our future is not in our hands, but in God’s.

2. The basics- Secondly, when we pray for daily bread, it is referring to our

basic needs. In a time when society gets so focused on the exotic and the extravagant, usually at the expense of the impoverished, I think Jesus wants us not to forget the basics of life, and that God is there to provide for us in the most basic of needs.

I have been to Mexico many times, often with high school students, and it is always amazing to see the reaction of these students when they see the poverty of the people living in many of the areas of Mexico. You could tell that they were surprised that these people struggled with having even the basics of life. This caused them to want to help give to these people, and it also helped them to appreciate the basics that they have in their life day to day.

God uses us to provide the basics. When we give, we help our church to be sustained, and we help this church reach out to the poor and the struggling of this community. When you trust God, not hoarding your money, but sharing it with the church and with others, you are answering this prayer for another human being.

3. Spiritual Sustenance- Thirdly, we have the basic need of spiritual

sustenance. We are more than just a body, we are a body and a spirit, and our spirit needs to connect with the Spirit of God. This is a need, and yet too many people turn a blind eye to this need; too many people think they don’t need to have a relationship with God. Just as when we eat physical food our body gets hungry again, so we are continually hungry for the spiritual food of worship, prayer, and God’s word.

EX. A number of years ago a man wrote into the newspaper, which started an important dialogue. He wrote that he didn’t think that sermons were important because he didn’t remember any of the sermons he ever heard. The debate went back and forth between those who thought sermons were important, and those who didn’t. Finally, the dialogue ended when one man wrote: “My wife has been cooking me meals for 20 years. I can’t remember most of the meals she has cooked for me, but I do know that eating them has kept my body healthy!”

4. Remember Others- Fourthly, we see that in praying this phrase in the

Lord’s Prayer, Jesus wants us to remember others; especially those who have less than we do. There is a Jewish saying: “A person should always join himself or herself with the community in his or her prayers.” There is a poem that is along this same line: You cannot pray the Lord’s Prayer in the first person ‘I.’

You cannot say the Lords Prayer and even once say ‘My.’

Nor can you pray the Lord’s Prayer and not pray for another;

for as you ask for ‘daily bread,’ you must include your brother.

Yes, others are included in each and every plea;

from the beginning to the end of it, it doesn’t once say ‘Me.’

III. Forgive us our sins- (Matthew 6:12)

Illus. “Christian Woman and her parrot,” Holy Humor, p. 182. There is a story of a Christian woman who decided she wanted to get a pet, so she settled on a parrot. She went to the pet shop to buy a parrot, but the owner told her that this particular parrot wouldn’t be good for her, since it had been previously owned by a sailor and tended to swear often when it spoke. The woman decided to buy the parrot anyway, thinking that a little Christian discipline and love would change the parrot. No sooner had she brought the parrot home that the parrot began to swear. She warned the parrot she was going to put him in the freezer for 10 minutes if he didn’t hold his tongue, but the parrot continued to swear. So she held true to her word, and put the parrot in the freezer. After 10 minutes she took him out. The parrot was shivering, but seemed remorseful as he asked the woman: “Pppplease llllady, wwwwould yyyou tttell mmme ssssomething? Wwwwhat dddid tttthe tttturkey dddo?” We need to forgive, AND be forgiven.

a. Receiving forgiveness-Jesus tells us to pray for forgiveness. But before a

person can honestly pray this petition, they must realize they need to pray it. That is to say, they must have a sense of sin; a sense that they have sin in their life. The trouble is, most people have a wrong conception of sin. They think that those who commit crimes, those who are hurtful to others, those who don’t live respectable lives (whatever respectable means), these are the people who sin. So many people don’t believe that sin has anything to do with them. “As long as I live a good life, I’m okay,” they think.

We all have things we do that affect others negatively, or that hurt others, or that bring some bad into the world. So when we pray “forgive us our sins,” we are acknowledging that we are not perfect, but in fact have sin in our life. And even more, we are acknowledging that only God, through Jesus Christ, can forgive our sins.

b. Giving forgiveness- But along with being forgiven, we need to also

forgive. In fact, this phrase reminds us that we will be forgiven in proportion to how much we forgive others. So if we refuse to forgive others, or can’t bring ourselves to forgive others, then God will not forgive us. This might sound harsh, but it really isn’t, because human forgiveness and divine forgiveness are linked with each other. Ex. I have people come to me sometimes to borrow money, or even just get a gift of money in their time of need. Now, it isn’t wrong to ask for help when we find ourselves in trouble. God calls us to help support each other. But the problem comes about when all this person does is ask for money, and never gives away. In time, what happens is the person forgets to feel thankful for the gift, and actually expects that the gift should be given./ But when we learn how to give, then when we receive, we understand the blessing that this is.

This is true for forgiveness as well. If all we do is ask for forgiveness, we will not understand what it means to receive it. But once we start giving forgiveness to others, we understand what forgiveness is about. We understand that it is not easy to forgive. We understand that it is overlooking the wrong that has been done. We understand we have to rise above the hurt that we feel from being wronged. And we learn that we must seek to understand the circumstances which caused this person to sin. If we cannot put things right with our fellow brothers and sisters of this world, then how can we expect to put things right with God? In forgiving others, we learn how to stop judging, and we learn how to forget. Only then can we receive the forgiveness that God has for us.

Conclusion: Dr. Tony Campolo, the well known speaker and evangelist, once wrote about a television advertisement for Coca-Cola. He describes an outrageous claim that is made in the commercial. In the midst of the world being deeply divided by racism, sexism, classism, and violent crimes, in this ad there were about a thousand people on the top of a mountain, somewhere in Italy, holding hands, and representing people from every part of the divided world. As they were holding hands they were singing the song: “I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony, I'd like to hold it in my arms and keep it company. I'd like to see the world for once, all standing hand in hand, and hear them echo through the hill for peace throughout the land.” Sounds great, doesn’t it? But the problem here is that the thing they say can bring harmony is Coca-Cola. Is it realistic to think that Coca-Cola has the power to bring harmony to the world?

The Bible tells us that only Jesus Christ can provide for our physical needs, and our spiritual needs. Only in Jesus can we understand about the need to forgive others and receive forgiveness. Only in Jesus can the hunger of personal peace and meaning and purpose of life come about. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive our debtors…” May we understand today and always, that God is our provider, our sustainer, and the one who teaches us how to forgive and be forgiven. Amen.

"If You Could Just Make One Wish"
Matthew 6:9-13

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Introduction: In the movie Pinnochio, there is a well known song entitled: “When You Wish Upon A Star.” This song is sung by Jiminy Cricket, who is to be the conscience for Pinnochio, since he is a wooden boy and doesn’t know right from wrong. In one scene in the movie, Jiminy Cricket is trying to help Pinnochio believe that he can achieve his dream of becoming a real boy, and so he sings him this song:

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are,
anything your heart desires... will come to you.
If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme.
When you wish upon a star... as dreamers do.
Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through,
When you wish upon a star, your dreams, come, true.

This is an encouraging, uplifting song that gives us the motivation to seek our dreams. It has wonderful phrases like “makes no difference who you are,” meaning that everyone can achieve their dreams. And, “fate steps in and sees you through,” helping you to believe that if we can dream it, we can achieve it.

This is all well and good, but the problem is that it causes us to focus too much on ourselves. Last week in beginning our series on the Lord’s Prayer, we learned that Jesus, in teaching us this prayer, wanted us to understand that the focus of our prayer was to be on God the Father. That is why Jesus started the prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven…” So while it is important to have dreams in our lives, we need to keep our dreams in perspective with God’s will.

So today we look at the second phrase: “Thy kingdom come, Thy

will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I. Times of Selfishness- (Psalm 139:13-14; Ephesians 2:10; John 8:1-11)

And yet, before I get too far into this phrase of the Lord’s prayer, I do want us to understand that there are actually okay times for us to be selfish.

a. Special occasions- One aspect of life where it might be okay to be a

little selfish is the special occasions that life brings to us. One such occasion is our birthday. When we celebrate our birthday, it is a time to remember that God created us. As Psalm 139:13-14, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” It was God who created you and me. The verse reminds us that we are wonderfully made./ Another verse that reminds us of this is in Ephesians, 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship…” Isn’t that wonderful? We are God’s workmanship! As a master craftsman would use creativity and imagination to make something wonderful, so God has crafted us the way He wants us to be; wonderful, loving, and gifted.

And so when we celebrate our birthday, and others celebrate it with us, it is a time to remember and give thanks to God for this special day. While we are being selfish, because the focus and attention is on ourselves, it is deserved, because it helps us, and others, to focus on the importance of our existence. Too many people in this world don’t love themselves; don’t believe in themselves. Hopefully, you will let your birthday be a reminder of the wonderful person you are in Christ!

Another occasion to be a little selfish is our anniversary. This day is important because it is a day to reflect on the love and commitment we have to our spouse, whom God gave to us. When we take a day to focus on our spouse and our relationship, it helps us to appreciate the gift this person is to us. When we take this day to do something special, it is a time to give thanks to God for bringing this person into our lives and helping us to be more complete.

In the Bible, we see a woman having the focus turned to her, however not in the way she would want. We find this story in the gospel of John, chapter 8, verses 1-11. In this passage a woman is caught committing adultery. She is brought to Jesus so that she might be condemned for her actions and ultimately killed according to the law. But Jesus does not condemn her, instead he sends her accusers away. There she is face to face with Jesus. At this moment, what would she want the most? Her selfish desire would be to receive forgiveness and pardon for her actions. It is selfish in nature because it is not deserved. But in the end, Jesus says to her in verse 11: “… ‘Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.’” The woman gets her wish; forgiveness.

And this is true for you and me. When we go to God and ask for forgiveness, it is a selfish request; a selfish wish. But the wonderful news is that Jesus does give us that undeserved forgiveness./ It’s like a family whose town has been hit by a hurricane, and yet their house is still standing. Around them they see the destruction of the forceful winds of the hurricane, but their house has not been damaged. They know that this was not because of anything they had done, and yet it is a blessing none-the-less. Our sin can create destruction all around us, but the forgiveness of God keeps our house standing.

b. Make A Wish- You might be familiar with the “Make A Wish”

foundation. Here is a portion of their mission statement: Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish^® experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded in 1980 after a little boy named Chris Greicius realized his heartfelt wish to become a police officer. Since its humble beginnings, the organization has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, reaching more than 144,000 children around the world.

This organization wants to meet the request of a child who has a life-threatening condition. In a time when life might be pretty low for the child and the family, the “Make A Wish” foundation comes in and brings some happiness and encouragement by granting the child their wish. Now, while it usually isn’t a good thing to give your kids all that they wish, in this situation, it actually is a helpful practice. In this situation, it doesn’t make a child more self-centered, it actually gives them more hope and love for the world.

EX. In the case of Christopher Greicius, age 7, on April 29, 1980, a caring group of the Department of Public Safety personnel started Chris’ day with a tour of the city in a department helicopter, which also flew him to headquarters. Three cruisers and a motorcycle officer greeted him before his meeting with the DPS command staff. There, Chris was sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in state history. It was a wonderful day that he would not forget. Soon after that he was even given a custom-made DPS uniform. However, on May 2, Chris was back in the hospital. He asked to arrange the room so he could always see his uniform, his motorcycle helmet and his “Smokey Bear”-style campaign hat. DPS motor officer Frank Shankwitz presented Chris with his motorcycle wings. He accepted them with a smile that lit up the room. The following day, Chris passed away, but not before seeing his dream come true and experiencing the hope, strength and joy that came from receiving his wish.

There are times when it is okay to be selfish in our wishes.

II. Times of Selflessness- (Matt. 6:9-10; Revelation 22:1; Heb. 9:24; Ps. 37:3)

a. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done- The first phrase, “Thy kingdom

come,” is really characteristic of the whole New Testament. The kingdom of God was central to the message of Jesus. When Jesus first appeared on the scene, He came “preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.” (Luke 4:43) But what does this mean?

It actually has 3 meanings; past, present, and future. In the past, we see the kingdom of God existing through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and existing through the prophets. But it also had present meaning for Jesus. Jesus wanted us to know that the Kingdom of God was a present reality in Christ; it was here and now. And yet, the Kingdom of God also had future implications. There was an aspect of the Kingdom of God to come. It had meaning for when the end times would come; when heaven and earth would be done away with and a new heaven would come about.

So Jesus, in using this phrase, tries to help us understand how the Kingdom can be past, present and future. So, any person, of any time, who did God’s will was and is within the Kingdom. That’s the past and present. As we do God’s will, we join with those who in the past have done God’s will, together being a part of the Kingdom of God. And yet, since God’s will can’t be perfectly done, there will be a time in the future when we will be brought together into God’s presence and live together perfectly in God’s will.

To be in the Kingdom is to obey God’s will. The beauty of this understanding is that the Kingdom is not nations and countries, but you and me. We are each a part of the Kingdom, and together make up the Kingdom. The Kingdom makes a demand of us to give ourselves over to God’s will. It requires selflessness on our part; we must give up our selfish desires and wishes to be able to seek God’s will. It is only when we can each give up our will together, and join together in seeking God’s will, that the Kingdom of God can be seen here on earth. Which brings us next to seeing how God’s will comes to earth as it is in heaven.

b. On earth as it is in heaven- ILLUS. My son Tyler has gotten into

collecting baseball cards. We have discovered that on the back of some of the cards there is a chart of numbers, and by the numbers are baseball terms. So by the number 1 it might say fly-out; by the number 2 it might say ground-out; by the number 3 it might say single; and so on all the way up to the number 11. We realized that we could use these numbers, with dice, to play a baseball game. So Tyler picked the National League and I picked the American League, and we found players for each position. Once we found the players we wanted, we made a batting order for our players. And then we play games using the dice and keeping score, inning by inning. Not only do Tyler and I have fun with this, but it is teaching Tyler strategy. He has to figure out in his head his “ideal” team batting order. You want your singles hitters first, and then your home run hitters later.

This is similar to God’s creating the world. God had this preferred world in mind when He created all things, including people. And we see that this was taken from aspects of heaven. For example, the river of life that was in the garden of Eden, is in heaven flowing from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1). In Hebrews 9:24 it refers to sacrifice on the cross like the priest of the Old Testament who shed the blood of the sacrificial lamb to remove sins. The phrase here in 9:24 says: “For Christ did not enter the sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one…” The true sanctuary is in heaven. Any sanctuary we have down here on earth is just a small likeness of what is in heaven.

So when Jesus says to pray… “On earth, as it is in heaven,” He is reminding us that God has a master plan, and things on earth are copies in part of what is in heaven. Just like a copy of a painting is not as wonderful and glorious as the original, so what we copy will never be as glorious. But it will be wonderful in its own way, because it is a following of what God has for us to experience.

We can’t lose sight of the fact that God is the expert on life. God created our life; God created this world; God created all that exists. God as the creator knows what the best plans are to be. So we need to trust ourselves to God in this. As Psalm 37:3 tells us: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.” If we want to experience the best that God has for us, then we must have the understanding and commitment to seek out and follow God’s will.

Conclusion: There is a wonderful poem by Annie Johnson Flint which says:

“God hath not promised skies always blue, flower-strewn

pathways all our lives through; …God hath not promised

sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the

labor, light for the way, … grace for the trials, help from

above, unfailing sympathy, undying love.”(…Tardy Oxcart, p. 235)

Conclusion: God’s desire for us is good. But we tend to doubt this. We might say that you believe this, but our actions speak louder than our words. For example, when we worry, we are not trusting that God can bring good to our life. When we make decisions apart from seeking God, we are not trusting that God’s way is the best way. When we want something that we know God doesn’t want us to have, and we get angry at God, we are doubting that God desires good for us. As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:32- “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with Him?”/ Jesus wants us to understand, in this second phrase of the Lord’s prayer, that God knows what is best and we need to seek God in all that we do in life. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

“What’s In A Name?”

Sunday, October 8, 2006

Matthew 6:5-14, Lord’s Prayer Series

Introduction: “Can Prayer Save America?”- (President Lincoln praying for America)- A visitor to the White House during the days of the Civil War said, “I had been spending 3 weeks at the White House with Mr. Lincoln as his guest. One night, it was just after the battle of Bull Run, I was restless and could not sleep. It was coming near to the dawn of the day when I heard low tones proceeding from a private room where the President slept. The door was partly open. Instinctively I walked in, and there I saw a sight which I shall never forget. It was the President kneeling before an open bible. The light was turned low in the room. His back was toward me. His tones were sorrowful as he prayed: “O Thou God, that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed and cried for wisdom, hear me! I cannot lead this people; I cannot guide the affairs of this nation without Thy help. I am poor and weak and sinful. O God, Thou didst hear Solomon when he cried for wisdom—hear me and save this nation!” God heard President Lincoln, and answered.

Can prayer save our nation? Yes. Prayer is powerful. And when the disciples asked Jesus about prayer, Jesus shared with them what we now know as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Now we might assume that everybody knows the Lord’s Prayer, or at least every Christian does, but this is not necessarily true. In fact, the trend in churches these days is to print the Lord’s Prayer in the bulletin so that people can join in, just in case someone doesn’t know it. This trend reminds us that there are many that don’t know the Lord’s Prayer by memory.

EX. “Minister Hunting in South Dakota”- There is a story of a minister who was hunting in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He spent the entire day hunting, and didn’t start going back to his car until it was almost dark. Because of the darkness he became disoriented and got lost. In desperation he decided to fire his shotgun toward the sky hoping that someone would hear the shot and find him. No sooner had he fired the shot when a South Dakota game warden appeared with the intention of arresting him for hunting after sundown. The minister pleaded for mercy; after all he hadn’t intended to get lost, and he wasn’t really hunting after dark. The game warden smiled, knowing that the minister was only about 100 feet from the road where his car was parked. “I’ll tell you what,” said the game warden, “you say you’re a minister, so if you can say the Lord’s Prayer to me, then I will let you go.” The minister at this point was so nervous that he couldn’t think at al, and he began to pray the first thing that came to his mind: “God is great, God is good, now we thank Him for our food. Amen.” The game warden looked at the minister for a moment and then said, “Okay, you can go.”

This story reminds us that there is a lot about the Lord’s prayer that we take for granted; that all people know the Lord’s Prayer, and that they understand its meaning. Even though we say the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday, doesn’t mean we understand all that we are saying. So over the next 5 weeks we are going to break down the Lord’s Prayer so that we can really understand this important prayer that Jesus gave to the disciples and to us!

I. The Importance of the Lord’s Prayer- (Matthew 6:9)

a. Great Spiritual leaders- We should celebrate that the Lord’s prayer is so

central to our lives as Christians. One of the earliest leaders in the Christian church, a man named Tertullian, remarked about the Lord’s Prayer: “The Lord’s Prayer is the epitome of the entire gospel.” Archbishop William Temple said: “The Lord’s Prayer is the one prayer you would want to offer if you truly loved God with all your heart.” Martin Luther, the great reformer, who set the church free, back in the sixteenth century, wrote: “The Lord’s Prayer is the highest, noblest, and best prayer. All other prayers shall be suspect that do not have or contain the content and meaning of this prayer.” St. Augustine, one of the most important thinkers in the development of western Christianity said: “If you were to go over all the words of Holy Prayers, you would find nothing, according to my way of thinking, which is not already contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer.” And finally, Athanasius, another highly respected early church leader said: “The words of this prayer, have conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fires, produced strength out of weakness, and put foreign armies to flight.”

Why do I take the time to mention all these quotes from great spiritual leaders? It is because in the midst of the power and grandeur of this prayer, many do not hold fast to its importance. Many people and churches no longer ever regularly recite it anymore. Many have forgotten that this prayer came to us from Jesus as the prime example of how to pray. So if we are open to understanding the wonderful gift of this prayer, and if we use this prayer as a pattern and model for prayer, it will help us to be strengthened in our relationship with God and one another, and it will help us to grow to maturity in Christ. But to do this we have to understand and accept the authority this prayer has for us, since it comes to us from our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

b. A personal prayer- Let’s look now at the prayer, starting with the opening

words. It opens with these wonderful words: “Our Father…” In this opening salutation, Jesus wants us to understand that we should call to God in a very personal way; we should know God in a very personal way. The word “Father” is the Aramaic word “Abba.” This word is very personal and intimate, because it can be translated as “daddy.”

In our culture today, one of the first words a baby speaks is the word “daddy.” In Jesus’ time and culture, that word was “abba.” This was a society in which the father was expected to be the spiritual leader of the entire household; a society in which the father provided for the majority of the needs of the family; a society where a family’s identi-fication in the community was established primarily through the father.

When Jesus used this word “abba,” father, His purpose was to establish, to clarify, and then to invite each one of us to celebrate the wonderful relationship God wants to have with each one of us./ Now this was a very new way of praying./ This was not how the religious people of that time were accustomed to praying./ One Christian writer remarking about this new kind of intimacy said: “What an incredible revolution Jesus started when He used this word ‘abba’ to describe our relationship with God.”/ For a community whose prayers had always reflected great distance between themselves and God, Jesus introduced to them the immediacy, and thus the intimacy of a caring God.

God is no longer to be thought of as someone who cannot be reached. God is to be thought of as a loving parent./ EX. If my children kept their distance from me and didn’t talk to me on a personal level because they thought of me as a distant hierarchical figure, then I would be greatly distressed, because I know that I would miss out on that special relationship I could have with my children. It is the same with God. God created us, and loves us, and wants to have a special relationship with us. Jesus tells us straight out that this relationship is to be intimate and special like you should have with a loving earthly father.

II. The Focus of the Lord’s Prayer- (Matthew 6:8-9, 16:26)

a. Overcoming Selfishness- But along with using such a personal name as

“Abba” to help us understand the personalness of God and of this prayer, this opening “Our Father” also seeks to help us understand the focus we are to have in our prayers. The focus is to be on God. Just as Jesus offered His prayers to the Father, so He tells us to direct our prayers to the Father. Our prayers are to be to the Father, through the Son (that’s why we close prayers “in Jesus’ name”), so to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. And in praying this way, we are reminded that the focus is not on ourselves, but on the God to whom we are praying, and seeking, and relying on.

Illustration- (Peanuts)- “Selfishness,” Amusing Grace, p. 328, #1120- One day Lucy and Linus had a chicken wishbone and were going to pull it. Lucy explained to Linus that whoever got the bigger half would get their wish to come true, but they had to wish out loud. Lucy went first: “I wish for 4 new sweaters, a new bike, a new pair of skates, a new dress, and $100.00.” Then Linus spoke his wish: “I wish for a long life for all of my friends, I wish for world peace, and I wish for great advancements in medical research.” At this Lucy took the wishbone from Linus and threw it away saying: “Linus, that’s the trouble with you. You’re always spoiling everything.”

Too often our prayers are like Lucy’s, wishing for all the selfish things we hope would come true in our lives. Our lives are infected with selfishness. And if the Lord’s Prayer tells us anything about ourselves, it tells us that in every culture, selfishness is one of the most common bonds we share with everyone. We are concerned with the question: “What’s in it for me?” And Jesus tells us that it isn’t about us, it is about God and our relationship to God and our relationship with God.

In Matthew 6:8, Jesus reminds us: “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”/ God knows our needs and wishes. The purpose of prayer is not to be focused on our selfish needs, but to trust God, and be with God, and seek God more deeply. In His travels, Jesus encountered people who only cared about themselves and their own needs. And so in His teaching the disciples about prayer, and in teaching us to pray, Jesus begins the prayer, and continues every petition in this prayer, by directing our focus and attention towards God. Jesus is showing us that we can’t really pray if our focus is wrong.

b. Overcoming self-reliance- And we see this in the whole of scripture as well.

The Bible is there to remind us that we can’t make it without God. In fact, we were not created to separate ourselves from God, but rather to be in close communion with God. If we spend our lives developing self-reliance from God, ultimately we are not going to make it. We may make it big on earth, according to the world’s terms, but we will lack real purpose and satisfaction in life. We will always have a void, a hole in our lives that won’t be filled, because that hole can only be filled with God’s Spirit. And in that day when heaven and earth as we know them pass away, and only heaven and hell exist, what will we do then? Jesus says it this way in Matthew 16:26- “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

EX. You might remember the 1958 movie “Damn Yankees.” The plot concerns a long suffering middle-aged fan of the Washington Senators baseball team, Joe Hardy, who sells his soul to the Devil to enable the Senators to win the American League pennant over the Yankees. He gets his wish for the Senators to finally win, but in the end realizes that the brief happiness he received was replaced with the realization that his life now belongs to the devil. How often do think that we know what we need, and go to God with it in prayer, only to later find out that’s not what we really need./ EX. Ruth Graham ,the wife of Billy Graham, spoke about how if God had answered her prayers as she wanted, she would have married the wrong man five times over before she met Billy.

As Jesus saw the building of too many miniature kingdoms on earth, kingdoms apart from any reliance on God, He did everything He saw fit to do to begin leading people back toward and into God’s kingdom. You see, God did not create any of us to go it alone, especially alone without God. God created each of us with the idea of companionship in mind. And this companionship should begin with God. Then the companionship we have with others should be based off of this relationship we have with God. The better our companionship with God, the better our companionship with others will be. That’s what this prayer does, it helps us to focus on God and our relationship with God.

Maya Angelou, the distinguished African-American poet from Arkansas, wrote these words in one of her works: “Lying last night thinking, how I could find myself a home,

where the water is not thirsty, and the bread loaf is not stone.

I came up with one thing, and I don’t believe I am wrong,

that nobody, I mean nobody, can make it all alone.”

We cannot make it all alone. Jesus knew this, and in teaching us to pray the Lord’s Prayer, and in starting the prayer this way “Abba—Father—Daddy,” He tells us that neither does God want any of us to seek to go it alone. God is a perfect Father; one who desires companionship with us, and reliance from us in Him.

Conclusion: Not too long ago there was some research completed on strong families. The article talked about this research and was entitled: “Strong Families Have a Lot in Common.” It was the result of interviews with more than 3,000 families across the United States and some around the world. The summary of the report described 6 characteristics common to all successfully functioning families. 1. Commitment- Strong families are dedicated to each other’s welfare and happiness, and they value their union with each other.

2. Appreciation- Rather than taking each other for granted, strong families go out of their way to make the others feel special.

3. Communication- Strong families spend lots of time talking together, and they keep the pathways open for sharing.

4. Time together- Strong families make intentional decisions to spend quality time together with each other, whether it is for holidays, chores, meals, vacations, or simply chatting at the end of a long day.

5. Spiritual wellness- In strong families, there is a genuine caring for each other that transcends each individual’s needs; they are committed to the well-being of an entity greater than each member.

6. Coping skills- Strong families are able to turn crises and turmoil into opportu-nities for growth. They don’t have fewer stresses in their lives, but they are able to keep them from destroying their lives. And one of the most important of these skills is prayer!

And for us to learn how to pray, we have to know why we are praying and who we are praying to.

What’s in a name? Well, if that name is God, then it is the most important of names. A name that we can rely on and to whom we can speak. We, in the name of God, belong to a family together. And if we are to be strong, we need to pray. And let us not forget in our prayers, that our focus is to be on God. If we do this, then God will take care of the rest. Amen.