The Mindset of Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Intro:
Scripture Intro:
Kids Dismissed - Joyful Sounds and Junior Church
This month… “Jesus: His Words and His Work”
Focusing on the Book of John...
John 6, that Jesus is the Bread of Life
John 11, the raising of Lazarus (Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life)
New series tying in with the New Year.
Two years ago,
we did our “Gospel Reset”
Gospel for the Pharisee
Gospel for the Control Freak
Gospel for Eeyore
Gospel for Mr. Scrooge
This year,
another sermon series that will challenge us to take stock of our lives...
and our walk with the Lord.
I want to thank my guys from the Thursday morning Bible Study.
Their insights and reflections helped with the content of this series (without knowing it).
That group of men studied prayer in November and December...
and that serves as the backbone of this sermon series.
Scripture Reading (“Please stand…”)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Pray...
Intro:
Intro:
Preaching consistently is a humbling thing.
We’ve been here 14 and a half years.
I looked this morning at my sermon prep notes.
How many sermons have I preached since being here?
I ran a quick search and 700 sermons pulled up...
not counting funerals and weddings.
Accounting for some duplicates in my sermon notes...
my number is not quite that high but it’s close.
So let’s call it about 650 sermons.
That sounds great,
until you get to a sermon like this one.
One in which the premise of the sermon is taking stock of your life
and your walk with the Lord.
And when you 650 sermons,
they serve as a time log of your life.
They catalogue what I was thinking.
They remind me of where I’ve been...
They remind me of God’s faithfulness.
They also inform me that I have lots of areas that God needs to continue to refine.
I found one sermon in particular from September 2010.
One month into me being the pastor here.
I am somewhat frustrated to say...
I could have written the introduction to that sermon yesterday.
I wrote it 14 years ago...
But it is still amazingly true today.
From September 2010:
I am a self-reliant man.
I attempt to figure everything out on my own
I analyze and think things to death
When posed with a dilemma, I will think until I come up with a satisfactory solution
I am a harsh critic
To see the underbelly of a situation allows for better decisions to be made
I am often asked for advice or guidance
I step right up to offer my well-thought-out plan and a few contingencies
I sit across from wounded spouses, struggling parents, and rebellious students.
And I am always thinking what will help this person.
I enter situations knowing that the outcome rides on my words and thoughts.
The Pressure’s On
I am also a man on a quest
A quest for meaning
A quest for pleasure
A quest for adventure, excitement, for a challenge, and for accomplishment
A quest to maximize life and avoid pain
A quest to make life work and turn out well
The Pressure’s On
My life in a nutshell:
I have to be “on”
I’m the guy that comes up the answers
I have to be discerning
I have to be competent
I have to be likable and approachable for God’s people
I need to raise my daughters rightly
Why?
It depends on me and the Pressure’s On.
Over the past many years, God has taken me on a ride.
To see these things
To expose these things as sin
To expose them a self-reliance
I found myself not living in Christ but in Keith.
Not surprisingly, found myself hardened, frustrated, bitter,
in bondage, ministering out of obligation
Back in February of 2006,
I resigned from paid staff of the church I was pastoring at.
I didn’t know and couldn’t see anything that I just told you.
I was desperately seeking something better,
And my resignation was my first bold step in pursuing Jesus.
The easiest way to assess if you are living in your own strength...
Prayer.
Do you pray consistently?
Do you pray throughout your day?
Tim Keller tweet.
Failure to pray is not merely breaking some religious rule. It is really a failure to treat God as God. (Timothy Keller)
An Honest Look
An Honest Look
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Not bearing fruit...
“he takes away” (removed, burned up)
Bearing fruit...
“he prunes” (to bear more fruit)
So “bearing fruit” is a huge component of assessing your life.
Yet, chasing after fruit can’t be the goal.
It will actually work against you.
Jesus lays out two ways to live:
“Abide in me, and I in you...
as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself”
1) A branch connected to the vine
2) A branch on its own (disconnected from the vine)
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
“the branch cannot bear fruit by itself”
“neither can you”
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
“apart from me you can do nothing”
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
“if anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers”
“An Honest Look...”
At Our Capacity
At Our Capacity
What is Jesus’ assessment of our innate capacity?
“cannot bear fruit”
“can do nothing”
“withers and dies”
His assessment is a call to resist our reliance on our own wisdom, effort, and talent.
What does this reliance look like?
Try hard, work hard, do right, do good,
Listen to God, do what he says
“I’ll do it my way”
OR the more Christian-sounding version...
“I’ll do it God’s way as an attempt to orchestrate beneficial outcomes”
If I do A and B, C will follow.
If I do A and B, God will honor that with C.
Larry Crabb, The Pressures’s Off,
“Most people who go to church live a religious version of the Old Way. It goes something like this:
If you want good kids, raise them according to Christian principles.
If you want a good marriage, understand a biblical model for marriage and live up to it as closely as you can.
If you want God to bless your ministry, follow godly principles of leadership.
If you want to be emotionally healthy, practice spiritual disciplines and trust Jesus for your needs.
If you want close friends, learn to accept yourself and to be vulnerable, authentic, and forgiving.
People who live the Old Way believe the Law of Linearity, a law that states there is an A that leads to the B you want. Figure out what A is, do it, and you'll have the life you most desire. The pressure's on.”
We live saying we are trusting God,
But actually, we live trusting our arrangement of God’s commands.
Some of us live to obligate God to bless us.
Others live knowing that Christianity is consistent with how God made the world.
We even have the manual.
Do what it says, and life will work out.
Consistently follow the rules:
You will enjoy a better life, but will be farther from God.
Your better life left you trusting in yourself more so than God.
Often our walk with Christ rests more on our effort than on Christ’s power.
Can you relate?
Living to orchestrate your life.
You better do it right b/c life will fall apart if you don’t
Your kids will be messed up if you don’t get it right
When someone comes to you for help in their marriage,
Do you offer them only practical advice
or do you land at the message of the cross/resurrection?
We have bought the lie...
Our wisdom and effort can affect change in people.
Jesus’ gracious reminder today...
“apart from me you can do nothing.”
“An Honest Look...”
At Our Confidence
At Our Confidence
(v. 1) Jesus says, “I am the true vine”
This is a contrast between the “true vine” and a vine that failed.
In the OT,
God will often refer to Israel as a vineyard or vine.
Most pointedly found in two “vineyard songs” in Isaiah,
Isa. 5:1–7 and Isa. 27:2-6
Isaiah 5:2, “he looked for it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.”
Isaiah 5:5-6, “it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste; “
Whenever historic Israel is referred to under this figure
it is the vine’s failure to produce good fruit that is emphasized,
along with the corresponding threat of God’s judgment on the nation.
Where Israel failed to produce fruit,
Jesus says...
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
By contrast, Jesus is “the true vine,”
Israel is the vine that failed.
Those who abide in Jesus will produce fruit.
Our confidence cannot be found in ourselves.
Rather, it can only be found in our source of life....
the vine...
Jesus himself.
Jesus’ perspective on our Capacity and our Confidence...
Nothing.
App. Based on how you actually go through life,
what is your assessment of your own capacity and confidence?
ILL. I love that we are a church with multiple generations.
Kids, youth, college, Those just starting out in career
Newly married, Families with young children
Families with Middle School/High School/College
Families with kids out of the home (empty-nesters)
Those in retirement...
with grandchildren or some with great grandchildren.
What a gift!!!
Young parents need those who are 20-30 years ahead to encourage them.
Students need those who have walked in their shoes...
“If you could go back to my age,
what would you do differently?”
As I’ve watched people go from an empty-nester to retired to aging...
Experimentally, I’ve noticed something.
As people age...
their capacity obviously is reduced...
they can’t run and jump like they used to.
Often they will talk about their mind not being as sharp...
So their capacity is waning.
Yet, their confidence doesn’t always diminish.
In some, as their capacity reduces...
their fear and anxiety skyrocket.
Or some, their they become exceedingly bitter.
Yet, there are some where their confidence goes through the roof.
As their capacity goes down...
they live with the utmost confidence.
Even greater than before diminished capactity.
Why? B/c they learned,
and possibly for the first time believe the words of Jesus...
“apart from me you can do nothing.”
Their reduced capacity was a great gift.
They live accordingly...
prayer becomes their life-blood.
B/c prayer connects them with the one in whom
they have and find life.
A New Way to Live
A New Way to Live
"Abide"
To remain, to stay
To continue, to dwell
To endure, to reside
John 15:4 (ESV)
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
John 15:5 (ESV)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
“Abide”
To be at home and settled.
To be at home in Jesus.
It is a conscious decision to stay/remain.
Abiding is the essence of what it is to live a life of faith.
Life of faith is a constant pursuit of God.
Connected
Connected
(v. 4) "abide in me", "and I in you"
(v. 5) "whoever abides in me... he bears much fruit"
(v. 6) "if anyone doesn't abide in me..."
(v. 7) "if you abide in me, and my words abide in you"
(v. 9) "abide in my love"
(v. 10) "by keeping my commandments, you will abide in my love"
"just as I abide in the Father's love"
"apart from me, you can do nothing"...
along with “abide in me”
This is great news...
God expects us to be dependent upon him.
God designed us to need him.
God truly wants us to know that we can't do anything without him.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Abiding leads us to ask.
“ask”
Dependent
Dependent
This is the opposite of “apart from me”
This is the opposite of Genesis 3 (Adam and Eve)...
thinking they had a better way figured out.
Living on their own.
We were created as dependent beings.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Paul Miller, A Praying Life
“If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life. You’ll always be a little too tired, a little too busy.
But if, like Jesus, you realize you can’t do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray.” (Paul Miller)
Filled with Joy
Filled with Joy
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
App. From Thursday Morning Study...
“What would change in my prayer life if I truly believed this passage?
Close in Prayer
Close in Prayer
Closing Song:
Closing Song:
“My Living Hope”
In desperation I turned to heaven
And spoke your name into the night...
Jesus Christ my Living Hope
His Life, Death, and Resurrection are the reason that we can sing that
“He has broken every chain”
“Salvation is in his name”
Benediction:
Benediction:
