Call Home: Can you really trust God? pt 2
Call Home • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThe “Lord’s Prayer” was never intended to be regurgitated and recited… It was never meant to be prayed mechanically… It is meant to come alive in the life of the disciple! Jesus didn’t tell us WHAT to pray, He showed us HOW to Call Home and anchor our lives in the peace, joy, hope, and provision of the Kingdom! BUT… Can we really trust God?
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Last week, we talked about the need to set God up as Holy in our lives — to make Him King of our lives — to relinquish the “hill” to Him!
To many of us miss God’s work in - and through - our lives because we want to be “King of the Hill”… We want to be in control… We want things “our way”…
We pray “God, Father, Lord… bless MY plan… follow MY directions… do what I want you to do… fulfill MY wishes…”
And then we get mad at God when He doesn’t…
That’s NOT what “Calling Home” is! “Calling Home” is the exact opposite!
It is taking the time to seek God first… to anchor ourselves in His love… His peace… His joy… His Kingdom…
Look at how Jesus told us to pray:
Luke 11:2–4 (NIV)
…“ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. [Your will be done.]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
“Father” — Our creator, the One who loves us, provides for us, nurtures us, and brings purpose and direction to our lives…
“Hallowed be Your name” — You are Holy to me… I sanctify You in my life, AND my life to You…
“Your Kingdom come. [Your will be done.]” — teach me Your will… guide my life… bring Your kingdom here, into my life… use me for Your purposes…
“Give us our daily bread” — take care of my needs and the needs of my friends, family, and community…
“Forgive US” — forgive my sin… my family’s sin… my community’s sin… and help me to forgive…
“lead us not into temptation” — because You know I’ll fail… give me strength…
Do you see what the “Lord’s Prayer” really is?!?
“The Lord’s Prayer was not something Jesus offered as a model to be prayed mechanically.” — Keith Newman
It was meant to come alive in the lives of the disciples.
Prayer… is meant to come alive in our lives… to bring us life… as we “Call Home” and set our anchors deep in God’s Kingdom!
So, I want to start with this question today:
Where is the Kingdom?
— We pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” Where is the kingdom?
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,
21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Look at that word “midst”…
When we think of this phrase, “in your midst” what imagery comes to mind?
— — in this group… among us… where we gather…
We think external, right?
That word is the Greek word “entos”. It means “among, within” or “what is inside”.
What does that mean for us?!?
The Kingdom of God is within us first… then it is among us as we live out God’s will for our lives!
But that means making God King of our lives…
You and I have a throne in our lives… (Here’s the question)
Who is on it?
When we pray: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” What we are really saying is: “God, Father, I relinquish control to you… I give You the hill…”
It means that I give Him control, I actively choose to abstain from making my own decisions, and to allow God to decide for me.
— my prayer every time we have to make important decisions —
Look at Mt. 6:25-30
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
God tells us not to worry about anything, WHY?!?
— because He’s Got This!!!
Which leads to the next Kingdom Question: “Does God have a plan for your life?”
— — YES!!!!
God has an AMAZING… AWESOME… MIND-BOGGLING… BEAUTIFUL… plan for your life!!!
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
God has authored your story — not as it is now, but as He desires it to be!
God has written a plan for each of us… and it is an amazing plan that will completely blow our minds!
And that plan is not the struggle, hurt, and defeat we may be currently feeling… Look what He says about His plan:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Look at that ps 139:16 again…
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
God has drawn a “blueprint” for our lives… When He created us, when He crafted us in our mother’s womb, He had a purpose in mind… We are each unique, different, special… and His plan is unique to us!
BUT… like any blueprint, if it is not followed, it gets all messed up!
SO… How do we discover what God has written about us?
We “Call Home”.
We plug in to Him… We pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.”
We seek His kingdom… His will… His righteousness… FIRST!!! Then, we let God show us His plan…
The problem is, the issue isn’t really “What is God’s plan?”
The problem is “Will it be His plan, or mine?”
We have to set aside “our plan” for His.
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
It starts with making Christ Lord of your life — with establishing Him and Him alone on the throne of your life.
Jesus has to be “King of the Hill”!!!
Then you must pray this part of the prayer, (now listen) and meaning it!!
We have to desire His Will and His Kingdom with the deepest parts of our heart.
Finally, we ask God to do His Will in our lives.
Look at verse 2 again… I want you to see something here:
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
Are we asking God to do His Will while we sit back and watch?
— NO! —
Are we asking Him to bend His Will to ours?
— NO! —
Are we asking Him to “bless our will”?
— NO! —
What are we doing?
— We are asking Him to work His Will in us and through us…
We are asking Him to help us FIND His plan, to UNDERSTAND His plan, and to ACCOMPLISH His plan for us…
What does that require of us?
— Trust and Participation
“Your Will be done.” is yielding to God’s Will… to His plan… to His purposes for our lives…
Look at Rom 14:17-18
17 God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy.
18 Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
When we continually pray “Your will be done”… guess what happens…
God’s WILL becomes MY will!
Newman gives us some good advice on how to ensure that we are praying for God’s plan and will: (read from book)
Let me ask you:
“Are you anchored deep?”
“Can you pray this prayer, and mean it?”
“Have you made God the King of YOUR hill?”
If not, it’s time to “Call Home”!