Gospel Fluency & Prayer Part 2

We're going to be reading at 1st Timothy the second chapter. And here is what the Bible says. First of all, then I urge that supplications prayers intercessions and Thanksgiving be made for all people. For kings and all who are in high positions that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life Godly and dignified in every way. This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our savior who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and Men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am telling the truth. I'm not lying a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire that in every place. The men should pray lifting up. Holy hands without anger and quarreling. Pray as if everything depends upon it. Because it does the gospel fluency and prayer. Let's pray Heavenly Father.

We stopped.

We acknowledge the reading of your word.

We understand that. It doesn't go out void because of who you are not because of who we are.

It has the power to change lives.

but if that's the power to change culture it has the power to change us. From the Inside Out Moment by Moments One Step at a Time because of all that you've done

we thank you that we get this opportunity. to be here in you In Jesus name we pray amen.

No, I have a confession to me. Are you ready for this? You know, sometimes I'm not very highly motivated to pray.

I know I should be but you know, sometimes I'm not very highly motivated to pray because someone told me I had to when someone says Danny you need to be praying that works for a little bit, right you start praying and then it falls away but that's not enough to keep me motivated to continue to pray and I know there's some of you in this room and I've met a lot of you and some I've been around in my life. If there's a rule they are disciplined enough to follow it till the end of the ages without breaking the rule, but I am not that guy. It's not the way I've been put together even though yes, I do try to obey the rules most of the time and don't travel behind me often cuz I may drive a little too fast. But I'm just putting it on the table and my whole point is this just because I'm told to do something it works for a while and then after a while it doesn't work so much. I'm not always highly motivated to pray just because I haven't I have access to the throne room. We talked about that last week, even when I'm told that because of what Christ did you have access to the throne room, even when I'm told that I'm already seated with Christ in the Heavenly Realms and I can talk to him wherever I am sometimes I'm not as motivated to pray that in and of itself just hearing that knowledge that results in pictures in my head's about what that may be like, but it doesn't result in me. Just wanting to pray all the time just based on that knowledge. Even when I know that prayer has impact and we talked last week about the impact of prayer and how the fact that even in the last chapter of the book The Book of Revelation that there's a clear demonstration of of what our prayers do in the last days when it comes to solving the problems of how long Lord will the evil continue. How long will the things happen the way they're happening and God takes our prayers as incense in in in based on the results of that begins and make changes on the Earth around this when it comes time for him to meet out wrath against those who are disobedient even when I hear it has impact. Again, that's that's that's an exercising imagination for me. If it's if that's all it is. I realized the End of the Age God's going to change everything. But in the meantime, I have to live. Here, but sometimes I'm not that motivated. However things that motivate me to prayer the things that almost motivate me to do anything and that's relationship.

When it comes to relationship with people, it's not for example, the fact that I made vows to my wife. Then I'm faithful to her. You get what I'm saying this because I love her I'm in relationship with her. I made a commitment to her based on a relationship that already existed and because of that we made vows in the relationship is the strength of the vows the valves aren't the strength of the relationship. You kind of see where I'm going with that. So for me, it's got to be relationship in the same way with God. If I don't ever experienced God if God is just an intellectual proposition to me. If God is just a person that I meet out incantations to because I'm trying to get them to do what I want and I don't know him, but I don't understand who he is and I'm not connected with him. Then I can't pray but

in relationship with him based on his love for us. When I pray it's amazing. It's amazing, you know.

I'll give an example number to use golf. Can I use golf for an example in prayer? Okay, I'll absolutely you know why people who aren't really that good golfers continue to golf. They have that moment. Where they line up on the T and they have the perfect stance in the perfect swing you hear the snap of the ball and it goes 350 yards and lands on the Green. And at that moment the dopamine levels trigger in their brain and their Hooks and even though they only do that once or twice in a lifetime me.

That moment keeps you coming back or that moment. You're on the green and you Putt in the putt is an impossible putt even for the pros and it goes a long ways and it goes in the cup and you got man I need to keep doing this.

I'm going to say it's almost not exactly but I want you to get the images of that in your head. It's almost like that one. We pray in my life. I have had very few times and I don't know how many but you could probably couldn't count them and I'm almost 60 you couldn't count them on two hands because they be smaller than two hands those times when I really know that God spoke directly to me. I've never heard an audible voice and what I mean is so clear. You can't miss it the message you receive is so clear, you know exactly what you're supposed to be doing there. So startling did they keep you wanting to go back? into the throne of grace because you've met with God as I've learned how to hear God's voice we'll talk about that as we go through this is it as we continue the series I've learned as I hear God's voice I begin to recognize and understand not only in the big things I could just talked about in the normal traffic patterns in the daily things of Our Lives God speaks and for me I sense this release that I've connected with God and I can hear his voice we'll talk about that in a little bit we need to pray as if everything depends upon it because it does I want to go back To the pastor's that I just left and I want to go through it now and I want you to keep in mind some of the things I've already said. I understand that Paul is writing this letter to Timothy. It's to a person. Yes, it was passed around churches and stuff, but it was written to a person and it was a Vite it was advice from an aging Pastor to a young Pastor the church at Ephesus who is taking over and some of the things that he needed to do and teach and I find interesting when we hit the second chapter right after he doesn't reductions and explain some of the things that are going on in some of the things he needs to do if he comes to what I would consider a priority and I said this all along that prayer if we're not praying it does in me so I can humility. It shows that I'm depending on myself and not God or it shows that they don't really think God is listening in my life. But here's what the Paul said to Timothy his first of all.

What does first of all mean? first of all

then I urge that supplications prayers and recessions and thanksgivings be made for all people and that's a big burden I think about that for a minute. Paul Hitler a pastor hits someone in Christ. It's someone who has a witness to the World by the way, that's all of you and he says first of all, what I want you to do is to pray in in any way, you know how to pray in all the ways, you know, how to pray in the ways that are that are important to the situation at hand. That's how I want you to pray supplications is when you're making requests you ever request that you're making to God about things happening around you prayers as when we talked to God. I'm going to talk about that a little bit later intercessions is what I'm talking to God about you or another person or something else or the situation. I'm interceding on someone else's behalf in the throne room of God for them and Thanksgiving is well. Thanks giving when I when I choose to be thankful for those things are going around us and he says we're supposed to do that for all people.

I fail. I don't want to fail. No one of the questions I ask myself every time when I get up at 3 to is God. What are you trying to tell me? What are you trying to tell me that I need to pass on with others and my God is trying to tell me. That I need to pray every way. I know how when the circumstances are right the kind of prayer that needs to happen for all people. That's certainly I can't pray for all nine billion people in the world individually. It's not quite 9 billion, but we're closed. Okay, I can't pray for that many people but I certainly can pray for those people in the normal traffic patterns of Our Lives. Amen. The people I run into in the normal traffic patterns my lies. I can pray for them. I can understand that I can have a conversation with God right on the spot right at the moment about who they are and I know we think all the time I don't have time.

Okay. If we have time to check Facebook guilty, we have time to check the news guilty. If we have time to you all those other things that may be mindless. I have time to stop in the prey, but just knowing that isn't enough to get me praying you. Okay? Let me move on to make that for all people.

for kings and all who are in high positions

Notice, I didn't say pray against. That's important. It says pray for I think we as a people of God. Fail so dramatically when it comes to the kingdom of God in the United States of America because we fight against and pray against whoever is in office at that moment in time and we're not praying for an office in that time. We are called by God as a witness of Christ of the entire world to pray for those who are in Authority pray for them pray for their good price for their wisdom pray that they would come to know Christ. If they don't know him pray that their influence would be Christians pray that they would lead our country in the way. It's supposed to believe and what that does is realizing my trust is not in a man or a woman or a congress my Tresses in the King of Kings and the Lord of lords and gods to make changes. That's what demonstrates I'm trusting. I don't trust them. You trust a man trying to save you. Only Jesus could do that and we're being called to pray for them why that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life Godly and dignified in every way and that doesn't necessarily mean they change. They do change Austin when we pray for them, but that means it puts us in a position where we realized it when I'm praying for everyone I come in contact with when I'm praying for all the governing authorities and those are in charge and I pray for them regularly. What I'm doing is I'm putting them in God's hands and as a result, I can lead a peaceful and quiet life because I Know Who Holds my future And my future is not held by mankind then and I think I'm going to say this probably a gazillion times today. Please forgive me. And yes, that's a true number because I do it again zillion times.

Mitchum

we can't trust in mankind to save it. You can only be in God even here on this Earth.

This is good When God Says something is good. What does that mean? It's good. And it's pleasing in his sight in the sight of God our savior. Who does it please when we behave this way?

Who desires all people? Here's the key. Why are we doing all this praying? Why are we doing all this living? It's not just so we have good government and peaceful lives. Why are we doing all of this we just talked about? Here's the summary of this statement who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

So God is telling me. Did if I want people to come to know Christ? I need to pray. If I want America and let's talk about a country as a whole to be governed as a Christian Nation. So to speak a Christian influence. What do I need to do? I need to pray now. I know that you hear on the news all the time everytime. There's a school shooting or something that we're tired of prayers we want action. But in the kingdom of God what God says and I really believe this is true of wool. Pray. We may see way more different than we could ever. Imagine by outlawing Thing by making rules. Like I said Ross don't work with me. They do for a while. They motivate me for a while until the next time I get a ticket then I drive really good for a. Of time and then what happens time goes by things go a little bit easy and you just drive. And you get caught and then you slow down again for a while. In the question is why do I need slow down? because of love because there's people involved.

a man because there's people involved. Were there is one God there is one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus. Now this is written in a culture where they had plenty of God's this was written a culture where Caesar was considered God yet understand what they're saying in the reason we have to pray for those governing authorities and everyone around us because there is only one God and there's only one mediator this Jesus Christ and that's who were appealing to when we pray for them.

Who gave himself as a ransom for all? He didn't give himself as a ransom only for us. Only for us who are in Christ he gave himself as a ransom for all and that's why we pray which is the testimony given at the proper time that testimony was given at just the right time. I do believe that applies it when Christ is coming, but I also believe when we pray for people that sets up an opportunity for us when we don't even imagine that the testimony will come to them at just the right time as well. as we pray

Paul again identifying why he does what he does what he's writing this pastoral epistle to the young Pastor is passing the church at Ephesus for this. I was appointed as a preacher but I'm telling you right now is a reason I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle. I am telling the truth. I'm not lying a teacher of the Gentiles in face in truth. I want to pause for a minute and say

The circumstances of your life right now where you live? Where you haunt is it were the normal traffic patterns of your life aren't lost on God. And in those places you're putting those places to be what to be a witness to be fluent in the gospel to be able to share it with everywhere. Every place you go with Christ is doing in your life and you don't have to be weird. When you do it. You just have to love and in this cuff culture love is awfully weird right now that part may be weird, but you do have to love Did you move for every one of us this applies to not just because he's a pastor and apostle. The circumstances of our lives are are determined by him. I didn't choose my parents. I didn't choose where I was born. There's a lot. I didn't choose I didn't I mean sure I made choices that moving in the direction I went but there's also other choices it will block where you didn't go wherever I end up. I don't care how you got here. Give me got here is a criminal of criminals and stumbled in the door or the circumstances of your life brought you to this moment in this time in this life. You have forgot purpose. That's kind of what I'm saying based on that. I desire that in every place men should pray. You quit arguing with one another.

Have you watched the news? Have you listened to even Christian people talk I want you to pray.

So what is prayer?

This is going to preschool. Actually, I pulled this out of how we teach preschoolers. Prayer is as simple as having a conversation with guy. That's all it's communication. It's a back and forth communication last week. We talked about how God has our father. He's our daddy. He's our dad. We communicate with him as a loving father no matter where we are. No matter what we do. He is with us and sometimes we don't realize that and we spend This I do this I'm pointing the finger at myself. We do this or we live with the thoughts on her head is if they are us. Let me tell you you are not your thoughts. You are not the thoughts come through you and you think your thoughts but you are not those size. You know, how I know you can decide to change your thought you're hired your Consciousness who you are. The Christ made you is higher than those thoughts. So if your thoughts says, you're no good dirty rotten. You know what that is. Not who you are. That's a thought. And you can take those thoughts captive in what bring them into obedience to Christ. And very often we have thought someone comes in the room. Do we have thoughts about them when they come in the room all the time summer good summer bad. So I'm going out with this guy again or oh man. I'm so glad to see you. We have these spots and we never take the opportunity to examine our thoughts and say are my thoughts about what's going on. Holy and right and how should I be praying? Why do you think the person is an idiot? have the thought and ask yourself then how should I be praying for them? See what I mean your spot serve up opportunities moment after moment day after day to pray and is just having conversation with god about everywhere you go and everything you do and you do have the time. Trust me. I love to daydream and be lost in my thoughts as my wife. She'll tell you even ask some of the people that work with me. They'll tell you to I love to do that. But there's a lot of times when I shouldn't do that. There's a lot of times when.

I need to be alert to what's going on in the room around me in the thoughts are going through my head because that's going to lead me to how to pray for me and those around me it is a conversation with god.

When should we pray?

Anytime all the time. I mean, I know that sounds crazy. We've already identified that the wear with Christ all the time. We can't get away from him. He's here so we can pray anytime again with preschoolers. When can you pray that you'll back anytime? Where can you pray? Anywhere, you need to remember that because sometimes you think man I need to pray. So and you in your mind's eye your picture in a place we can get on your knees or sit down or get away where you can pray but that's not the way it is. What can you pray about? Now we're a little bit afraid of that one. Can you really pray about anyting can you really pray about the stuff that's in your heart that it is disgusting and sludgy and smelly and you don't want anyone else to see yeah, because that's exactly what you need to do transparently open the you can pray about anything now, this is homework Psalm 139. I want you to read it. I want you to read it. Maybe twice I want you to go through it slow. I want you to ask a question. What does this say about my prayer life in me in my relationship to God and how could that impact the way I walk and the song is not about prayer, but I did identify the whole lot about what we need to be doing because of who God is so there's homework Psalms 139. So I did give you homework on the take a test next week.

John 10 27 and 28 says my sheep hear my voice. And I know them and they follow me. So there's this thing going on that we need to talk about Jeremy mentioned this a little bit when it comes to the holy spirit says if you don't know who the holy spirit is, you need to ask yourself a question. Do you really know Christ not saying you don't but maybe you just don't know what that means or if you've never heard God and I'm not talking to Audible Voice of God never spoken to you. If you don't if you don't understand the Impressions that God gives then there's something going on because Jesus said if you're my sheep what happens? You hear my voice?

And I know them. So he knows you and what do we do?

We follow

here's what I know about me and some of the big stories in my life. And this is a silly story, but I'm going to tell it anyways. But I was working in a prison in Tucson. And I was leaving for the day cuz I wanted to get out of there. And I got to the gate to getting ready to leave the unit. I was in. In there was a promotional opportunity coming up that I decided. I was not going to put in for it was the last day they were due.

When I got to the gate there was nothing audible. It was just this impression. It was on me. Thought process and the wording was so clear in my brain cuz your brain puts words to what's happening mine. Does Denny you need to go back and finish the application and turn it in. And I did. In that single moment.

Change the whole rest of my career where God put me in places. I never imagined because that cuz that was a LinkedIn. And it's those moments like getting up on the golf tee. That make you want to keep coming back to the throne room because when God speaks you begin to recognize this voice, they follow me. Those are the saying I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand if you can hear God. You're done. Your head is no one's going to snatch you out of his hand. I don't care what happens. kind of moving forward How do we hear from God that is one of the biggest questions we here all the time and I'm going to read a little bit of this so I know it first of all, there's got to be a discipline to what you do. You know what? I mean by that is you need to set aside time to be with God you do another illustration relationships. You set aside time for your relationships where you spend with him? Spend time with the people that are important to you and you love do you do that? I mean do you set aside time and make it a priority to do that? So can you plan quality time? Nope, you can't plan quality time quality time right now. We have an hour ago.

Or we're going to have quality time next Friday at 3. Y'all be here will have quality time together show up. Doesn't work. You can plan time you can plan quantity of time and in the quantity of time where you gather together with God and you choose to pray and you choose to read his word and be connected with him. Guess what happened? He shows up and he begins to speak and those are those are ha moments. They allow you to say. Oh my gosh. This really is true. It's the same one of your marriages has the same way in your relationships the same way with your kid, you spend lots of time with him and then there's those moments when yesterday you were complaining. I can't stand this kids are driving me crazy and today you have that moment because you spent time with him and you're thinking I got the best kid in the entire planet. I keep them. Hey man, it's the same way with God. That really I think that really matters. Now God's voice has a weight to it and what I mean by that is not the same quality of the other voices you hear in your head. And yes, you hear voices in your head not audibly, but you have these dreams of thoughts that come to you that confuse you and make you wonder whether God speaking but when God speaks it's heavy enough that you recognize it. It is never condemning. There's no condemnation doors Christ to those who are in Christ Jesus if you are condemned by what you're hearing or thinking it is not God. So it is your father telling you you're no good. You're worthless. You'll never amount to anything happen to be call yourself a Christian. And you do this yada yada yada. We could name a 15 gazillion things you're here and I see the looks on your faces. I know you hear those sometimes that is never God. No God convicts. And conviction is usually very specific and conviction always leads to Hope. All we had at least two light it leads to where you see peace in the end. It it it it leads to contentment

even when God's identifying what goes wrong it never leads to condemnation. I think that's important that you understand that so you if it leads to worry. It's not God. It is true that sometimes we get a little bit anxious about doing things. But in that anxiousness God's voice is the says in the Old Testament takes us out into the desert and speaks gently to us. He woozer you see it. I mean, we're anxious about going isn't it? It's the picture. I see there's a picture of somebody and with a child for the first time teaching them how to ride a bike there spray. They want to do it on their own butt but there would that they're further going to crash and hurt themselves, but you're right there with them guiding them along they so they're going to be okay. Can I get the image of I'm saying God if you don't have to worry if God speaking cuz he goes with you for the ride and it's not fearful. Now. I know every time someone sees an angel of God or God for the first time they hit the deck. Because they're scared to death. The difference is God will not lead you in your fear. Every time that happens. They reached down their hand is placed on their told not to be afraid. They're picked up in their told them move forward. But if if you have a fear in your head, it's a piercing fear that will not go away. That is not God speaking to you.

And it's not weary. Doesn't mean we don't get tired. It means when we know we're doing the right thing and we know we're following God's path. Even though we may be tired at the end of the day, even though we may be stressed a little bit. Even though things may not be going the way they are. There's going to be that moment where God is going to restore. Your soul is hasn't * 23. So you have the ability to get back up and keep going in. The direction. God has called you to because God promises that And that's how you recognize God's voice. Sometimes. It's a thought sometimes it's an impression. Sometimes it's reading the words. Sometimes. It's true hearing a sermon. Sometimes it's just being in the shower. Impots come to you up some of my greatest thoughts of come in the shower. True story used to shock me that that's what happened. But there's a time when you're a reason and God would speak to me in those moments in in when you recognize the weight of it. That's how God speaks when we hear from God. That's how we here. And I'm going to go back and those are the times. When we discipline our time and set aside time to spend with guy. Those are the times that remind us of why we do that because we know it's a relationship and God is real. If that's not ever happened you in Christ, we need to sit down and talk about what's going on in your heart and life either your you don't want to hear that happen or you can't hear him because you're not in Christ and I think I'm being pretty straightforward. But that's true. That's what makes Christianity different than anything else Christianity is not Blind Faith. There is an experience to the face that comes with his wealth within us.

Scripture says pray without ceasing.

We just read a passage that virtually tells us to pray without ceasing pray for everybody and all things that's a hard thing to do. And I think I've unpacked some of that already. So I'm not going to completely unpack it now, but there is this quality do what we do where we always have in our mind God. What are you doing in this moment in this time? I'm taking away those distractions give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. I just said I have King James and half what I was reading this with my memories from please forgive me, I do that sometime. So I give thanks in all things are part of what we do and practice his presence. Practicing his presence is in the 1500 was a guy by the name of brother Lawrence. He was a Catholic monk and he did writings on what would it mean and he did it in his wife. If I just acknowledge the fact that God is with me everywhere I go you practice in the word practice. There is important you practice is present you practice the fact that he's there you bring to mind you picture that he's there you understand that he's there and he speaks you enough. You actually know he's there even when he seems distant. And that influences everything you do and how you pray. That's like a batter's cage. Like a pro baseball player. They know how to bat. And they were probably batting since their father when they were about three years old stood behind him and Autumn had a bad and they grew up batting. They've been a gazillion games batting and they know how to back. So why do they go to the batting cage?

Why they go to the film booth? To watch pictures and see how they pitch why do they do that? It's not because they don't know. How is because why? They want to be ready for when I get to the plate everything's where it needs to be when it comes to their timing their speed. Their shaitan is their understanding of what's Happening. They want to be there and that's what setting aside time everyday is with us. It's a batting box. It's a batting cage its ability where we make ourselves ready when it comes were ready for it after done everything to stand firm. We can stand firm because of what we've done in Christ because of that that's why we do that some of that seems like it has no relevance to the game. You can spend hours and hours and hours in the batter's box. It doesn't put one point on the scoreboard, but it makes all the difference when you finally get up to home plate with a bat in the game and it really matters. Amen. That's why you set aside time to pray and be with got any practices present. I'm going to ask the ushers to come forward right now cuz I want to end this with communion.