Time to Talk

Introduction

Today, we’re going to dive into what it means to pursue God.

go into the process of getting here

The word pursue is a verb.

This means that to pursue someone or something requires action on our part.

So to pursue means that you are actively trying to connect with your target.

In this case, our target is God.

Thankfully, this isn’t a one-sided relationship. We’ll also see that God pursues us.

God is purposefully pursuing us. He is always looking to connect with us.

the title of my message this morning is “Time To Talk”

So what are some ways God pursues us?

In our quiet times with him

In worship

In the midst of the storm of our lives

The Bible is one of the best ways He pursues us.

God continues to use it to speak to us today even though the Bible was written more than two thousand years ago.

First Peter 1:25a tells us His Word will be with us forever.

1 Peter 1:25 (NIV)

but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

This shows us how important His Word is to our life.

We should do our best to pursue Him by reading it and remembering what He is speaking to us.

Similar to a friend sending you a message, God gave us His Word to share His message of forgiveness and love with us.

He wants to make us whole once again, so He asks us to give up the parts that are not complete in order to make us complete.

In order to communicate with someone, a message of some sort must be involved.

God has a message for us, and He wants to hear from us. But how do we do that?

One important way to pursue God is through prayer.

Prayer isn’t meant to be something weird or mystical.

It’s like two people spending time with each other.

In the scripture we will be in today, we’ll see that Jesus helped us in our pursuit of God by teaching us how to pray.

Set Aside Time to Be Alone with God

Matthew 6:5–8 (NIV)

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Jesus said for us to get away, into our room.

He says to separate from distractions.

idk about you but when there are different things happening around me I struggle to talk to my wife.

Tell story about how she’ll call me at work

God desires to communicate with you but you have to be willing to listen.

Don’t be confused by Jesus’ instruction here.

His point is not that you shouldn’t pray in group settings Instead, think about motives.

What motivates someone who prays in private? And what motivates a person who’s babbling a prayer for others to hear?

Go into what its like to pray with someone who is long winded

Seek God with an Attitude of Humility

Jesus wants His followers to know how important prayer is and how to pray effectively.

Let’s take a moment to learn from a story Jesus shared, showing the difference between two people who resemble the individuals in the Matthew 6 passage.

Luke 18:9–14 (NIV)

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

So here scripture demonstrates a right way and a wrong way to pray

And it is all in the heart, or the motive

Let’s look more closely at the tax collector.

When he prayed, he also confessed he was a sinner.

Rather than focusing on those around him, he took an honest look at his own life.

A key part of prayer should be looking at our life and asking God for His help.

Jesus Taught Us How to Pray

Okay, now that we’ve seen an example of what prayer may look like, let’s jump back to what Jesus taught on prayer.

Matthew 6:9–15 (NIV)

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus began with, “Our Father.”

The focus is on the Father.

When we pray if our first thing we think is how God can help me or how we look to other people then our focus is in the wrong place

Our focus needs to be on the Father

When we think of God as our Father, we pursue a personal relationship with Him as one who deeply cares for us.

Jesus invites us to talk with God as we would a good father.

This script for prayer equips us when we pray

It directs our focus into a selfless prayer, that still allows us to ask to fulfill our needs

This isn’t the only way to pray however, Jesus’ point was to make a template to help us know the types of things we need to pray for. When you think about Jesus’ prayer, think about how you can use those pieces to create your own conversation with God.

Pursue God through Fasting

Matthew 6:16–18 (NIV)

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus continued teaching us on prayer by including fasting.

This helps us understand an additional step we can take to pursue God.

Fasting is giving up eating or other things in order to devote time to focus on God.

Rather than doing the thing you’re giving up, take that time to pray and pursue a deeper connection with God.

There are many options to consider for fasting. Social media, music, video games, and other forms of entertainment are just a few things we could give up to make time to pursue God.

Fasting like other things I have talked about today re-shifts our focus onto what truly matters

Ending

Prayer and fasting are not things to be afraid of, especially since Jesus specifically directed us to do both.

But remember that our goal in doing them shouldn’t be to be noticed by others.

There may be an occasion where you’re asked to pray in public. When you do, remember that the point is connecting with God, not showing off.

Jesus is not looking for flashy, long prayers.

He is asking you to come to Him humbly with a sincere heart.

When we pursue a relationship with Him in this way, we’ll come ready to listen more than to speak.

Jesus said, “Pray like this” and “when you fast.” This tells us that He expects we will pray and fast, not that we might.

This week, put this into practice.

Spend that time praying and pursuing your Father in heaven.

Prayer to God doesn’t have to be loud, long, or in public.

He wants to have private conversations with you that are honest and sincere.

The God who created everything wants to connect with you and form a relationship.

Make it a priority to set aside time for conversations in your pursuit of a better relationship with Him.

Salvation Opportunity

Perhaps you’ve never pursued a relationship with God before.

This is a great day to begin that relationship with the Father who genuinely loves you and wants to talk with you. He longs to hear from you.

This begins by putting your trust in Him.

Is there anyone here that we can pray for who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus or wants to renew their relationship with Him?