Untitled Sermon (9)

Northside Christian Church 10/11/2020

Made for More #3 Jamey Mills

Centered on Christ

Possible announcement from Love INC and story

Good evening…. It’s great to be with you guys. My name is Jamey Mills and I am the lead pastor here at Northside. It really is a privilege to be able to spend time with you all… here and online…

We are in our third week of a series we are calling… “made for more”... where we are asking some hard questions about what it looks like truly following Jesus… we have used the phrase to have our life centered on Him.

Last week we spent some time sort of defining that and looking at what that means and you can find that online. In fact, you can find all of them online. Giving him the time and attention He deserves in our life… and aligning our lives with Him the right way… giving Him real authority in our lives.

And as we dive in today… I wanted to ask you… what have been the most formative conversations in your life?

There are a couple I’ll pick on.

I have mentioned this before… but growing up I was super little. Not a little little, but a lot little. I was often told what I couldn’t do… I always felt like expectations were low and that people didn’t take me seriously… especially girls. One on occasion, a church leader told me I wouldn’t amount to anything… and in my heart I said that era’s equivalent to hold my beer. I won't ever forget it. It was incredibly motivating.

One other…I don’t even know if he remembers this, but I was out working on my motorcycle and my dad walked through the garage and I was frustrated about something… and my dad stopped and looked at me and said, you know Jamey, you're not a little boy anymore.

And that might sound like a small thing… but for someone who grew up vertically challenged… It felt like the first time I wasn’t referred to as small or unable… To hear that from anyone… would be powerful. To hear it from your father… is formative.

Last week we talked about how in the OT and NT… people often called God father… it was a term of familiarity, of comfort, of protection and of trust… and I can’t help but wonder what sort of formative conversation God the Father would long to have with you? What do you think God would say to you? Ask Him!

The truth is… the Bible is FULL of these formative conversations… Where God spoke truth… and life… and love… and forgiveness into the lives of everyday… sinful people just like you and I.

In Jn 4 Jesus had a formative convo… with the lady near the town well. It was a conversation that culturally wasn’t supposed to have happened for all kinds of reasons… the woman basically said why are you even talking to me, and Jesus said… if you only knew what I have for you. Jesus asked her to go get her husband… she said she wasn't married… and Jesus said your right… you don't have a husband… in fact you’ve had five and the man you're living with now isn't one of them… ouch… right… but the conversation continued and she believed in who Jesus is… and she went back home and told everyone about this man who spoke truth… and though we don't know how the rest of the story went… no doubt she never forgot.

In Jn. 8 there was a woman many believe was set up… and as Jesus was teaching the religious leaders of that day drug this lady who was caught in the act of adultery before Jesus to see what He’d do… it was an act that… in that day… that was punishable by death… by stoning… they wanted to see what Jesus would do… and it says that Jesus bent down and wrote in the dirt with his finger… and then said… let those who have never sinned throw the first stone… and one by one… they all walked away.

THen Jesus said… where did they go? She said they all left. Didn't they condemn you and she said no… and then Jesus said… neither do I. God… and sin no more.

WHAT? Are you kidding me?

Can you imagine those conversation in our day… maybe I am wrong… but it seems like these women would have said… Man, it feels like people in our day would say… who do you think you are talking to me like that? And in that we understand that the shape of our heart in the midst of formative conversations matters.

One last example…

In Luke 10 Jesus and his disciples visited Mary and Martha… and Mary sat at Jesus feet while Martha was so busy working… cooking… trying to prepare for the guests… and she started to have a hard heart toward her sister who was just sitting and listening to Jesus… and Jesus stopped her… and said… you know, you worry too much. There really is only one thing you need to worry about and you sister has found it… Jesus was saying… there isn't anything more important than sitting with Him and hearing Him. and its a truth that Martha needed to hear.

What would HE say to you?

It remind me of a passage in Psalms…

Lets read

Psalm 1:1–3 (NLT)

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

2 But they delight in the law of the LORD,

meditating on it day and night.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

The Psalmist helps us understand we were made for more… He is talking about a life centered on Jesus… or I guess firmly planted in Him. That is living a life doing what trees were designed to do… because it’s firmly planted where real life is found.

But the contrast is huge… on author said it like this… the psalmist gives us

Three signs of a life that is not truly centered on God.

Looking for and accepting advice from and taking on the morality of the wicked.

Having those in your “life huddle” that are blatantly living in sin.

And adopting the most fatal of attitudes in mockery. Those who talk big… like one who has authority or knowledge they really don’t. Showing no respect… making fun…

And it makes me wonder if we are listening to the wrong people? Are we having formative conversations in the wrong places.

I really do believe that God specializes in formative conversations… and I really do believe that each and every one of us need it. These conversations that speak truth into the lies we believe, that speaks wisdom over our insecurities and insufficiency… that speaks into the place of our true identity… who we really are and why it really matters.

Jesus Himself gave us a sort of framework when it comes to these formative conversations… He gives us insight into the most important conversations we are supposed to have in life… and It’s right in the middle of the best sermon that was ever preached… it's called the sermon on the mount.

It’s another one of those passages as Jesus teaches us about the power of prayer and how to pray, we need to sort of step back and pay attention knowing that He is dropping life changing truth.

Matthew 6:5–15(NLT)

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

10 May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need,

12 and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one.

14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus says… when you pray. Not if.

Prayer is a part of what it means to have your life centered on Jesus.

Prayer is powerful and effective… and one author said that

Prayer one of the best ways we become aware of the presence of God in our lives.

NT Wright says that prayer at its lowest is shouting into a void hoping that there may be someone out there listening and at its highest merges from words into His presence, grace, power and delight over you.

And before Jesus ever dives into what our prayers might look like… he talks about how it is that we approach God. What prayer is intended to be.

God desires..

God desires Humility:

It’s not hard to believe, especially in our current political climate and all the other stuff going on… but even in that day… there were some that would say and do things just for the attention it brings… Wanting to be seen as a good person and in trying to separate themselves from the truth of what’s really going on inside of their life… They’d stand in just the right spot… and say things…. Pray things… loudly calling attention to themselves…. And sort of denying the reality of what was really going on in their hearts.

God desires humility… which is an accurate understanding of who you really are in light of all that God really is… and realizing how important it is that we approach Him that way. Realizing our need for Him.

God makes it Personal…

Corporate prayer… praying in groups or large groups is awesome and can be such a powerful things, but Jesus is talking about your personal relationship with God… and the power of prayer within it.

Instead of seeking public attention, Jesus helps us realize the personal nature of our relationship with God. We aren’t resting in the prayer of others… we aren’t allowing the voice of others to fill the place where our belongs. God says… go off on your own and shut the door behind you…

It’s so easy to miss this… and what a mistake it would be to not slow down and really look at it… that in this moment the invitation of God is personal… He won’t be content with us simply knowing about Him. The God of creation… the God that holds it all together… The God that knows you inside and out and the # of your days… is not caught up on what others think or or on who you're pretending to be. He’s not hung up on your past… or even your present…

God wants to meet with you personally…

He desires honesty and transparency.

Jesus said come in humility… come personally… and come honestly… and there really isn’t any point in coming to Him any other way… in being dishonest or in pretending to be something we aren’t or pretending to feel something we don’t.

Isn’t that a crazy thought… God isn’t looking for us to sugar coat things… but desires honesty and transparency. To know that Jesus wants to get real with you… with your struggles… mistakes… thoughts… feelings…

This passage makes it clear that God already knows. In your honesty, you're not gonna say anything that causes Him to fall off His throne in shock… “NO WAY” kind of thing.

And so the question is…

If God already knows, Why bother?

I think there are several reasons… but here are a few.

I think being honest and transparent toward God strengthens our connection to Him. Even though He knows, if we aren’t honest before Him about it we miss out on a lot of what God has for us and what he wants to do in us and through us.

I think it helps tune our eyes and ears to God… and His work in and around us. As we honestly engage with God… walls fall in our lives and in our hearts and we become more aware of what He's up to around us too.

When we approach God with transparency and honesty… I think it actually changes the way we see God. It changes our posture before Him and reminds us that He isn’t some far off, out of touch idea… but he is close, and powerful, and personal… and that He is heavily invested in you.

There is something that happens when we allow ourselves to be bare knuckle honest before the Lord and are honestly seeking Him in that process.

When was the last time you did that?

Formative conversations… that are intended to inform, encourage, and help us engage with God… that helps us as we continue on this journey of more and more centering our lives on Jesus. Jesus is saying hey, when you pray… pray like this in humility, personally, privately, and honestly…

And I would strongly recommend journaling. There is something that happens when we slow down enough… to put the pen to paper… in fact this week in our daily reading… (download it now) we are walking through the Lords prayer step by step… and I hope you’ll join us… and really commit giving God your best and not whats left in the process.

We will be walking through what it looks like to spend time in…

Honoring Jesus' name.

Praying for His Kingdom to Come and will to be done right here.

For God’s provision… God meeting our needs

For His forgiveness

For His strength to forgive others

And strength in the face of temptation.

Jesus says… when we pray… realize who we are praying to. We aren’t lifting up empty words to anyone who might be out there, but we pray to our Father in heaven…

and to Him alone. Knowing that he longs to connect with His Children… which you are… personally… humbly… authentically, and honestly.

Jesus says… when you pray… pray like this. It’s intended to be a formative part of our everyday… we don’t pray on an as needed basis, we don’t cimply consult God in the process of making our own diencision… but we seek Him, His wisdom and Discernment.

Formative conversations with our creator… I wonder what God might be wanting to speak into your life? What truth he wants to replace with a lie you might believe. What encouragement he might want to speak where your heart genuinely hurts. It’s part of what the father does.

I want to invite you to participate in communion, we do it every week. The opportunity to remember the personal nature of our relationship with Jesus… and that he so loved the world… that he faced the cross and brought real life, and real freedom… everlasting life… to those who believe in Him.

As we sing, if you want to connect with God in that way we’d ask you to be mindful of the social distancing thing.

Lets pray