Prayer & Spirit

Intro & Recap

Well this is it. It is the last time I get to stand up here and preach.

And I am calling this series: The Divine Conspiracy because it is what I believe about the church.

The church is God’s conspiracy a foot to overcome structures of evil.

The church is God’s family in the world that is called to participate with God in reshaping the world

I want to leave you with what I believe God is doing in the world through the church.

So I know that you were not all here for the past three weeks…So even though this is my last week…I have notes for you to take:

Whenever I stand up here, I want to be teaching you something from the Bible…I’ll get all nostalgic later

When I told you that my family and I were moving to Sacramento I told you that I would leave it all out on the field…that there would be no “senioritus” from me …So grab your Bible and your notes and lets recap before we go forward:

Week 1

The church is the most revolutionary family in the world, with the most revolutionary mission in the world

Two Points here:

1. In the shadow of the cross Jesus forged a whole new family. He told John his disciple, “behold your mother” Because in Jesus Christ, those of us who have no blood relation are now brothers and sisters in Christ. The Church is a whole new family that you are invited into

2. Jesus sent this new family on mission, to bring in more family members, to create communities that replicated the love of the trinity. This is the great commandment. Go teach people what it is like to live in God’s love all over the world…

So CHURCH: YOU ARE A REVOLUTION: You are family with every other church in the world. Also this community here is your family! DIG IN! INVEST IN YOUR COMMUNITY

GROW IT!

God sees you. God knows about this fellowship of believers

Week 2:

The power of the church is remaining in God’s word

Literally God’s spirit wrote the Bible. The Bible is God himself speaking life to humanity

The book of Ezekiel reminds us that we need to eat the word of God and literally become God’s message…Do you spend the time in God’s word…Do you invest your time and life in God’s word so much so that your life is different?

Week 3:

Love is the currency of the church

Love is God’s core character. Love is the reason why he sent his son, Love is why Jesus died on the cross and Jesus sees you, where you are at...

Maybe your here and you’re thinking, there is no way the God of the universe could love me. There is no way anyone can love me.

But he knows you, He created you, He loves you where you are at and wants to lavish his love on you so that you can be freed up to lavish it on others.

Church: love is your currency…Walk around every day with a sense of obligation that you owe love to others!

Spend and be spent for the gospel.

Week 4:

Prayer is the language of the church & the Spirit is the breath of the church.

In the summer of 2003 I was a college student attending a church in, Huntington beach and the pastor that was preaching there did a sermon on the 10 most dangerous prayers that you can pray…I do not remember 9 of the 10.

The only prayer I remember was: “God use me”

For whatever reason I latched on to that prayer and prayed that daily.

I just felt like I wasn’t doing anything with my life…So whenever I thought of it I prayed ”God use me”

I remember my roommate started asking me about what I believed.

I gave him a bible and we read the sermon on the mount together…It was beautiful

I had the chance to share the gospel with many people and just a few weeks after praying that prayer, I was asked if I wanted to work at this little church in Covina....

I kept praying “God use me”

Within two weeks of working here as the skate park director

Pastor Gordon took me to Spaghetti Eddies and asked me to teach the bible to a few youth kids…just until they could find someone else...

I remember saying yes, I’ll do it for now, but you have to find someone else...

Oh and by the way…if you start praying God use me…There is an interesting side note on this…God opportunities will start coming your way that you have to say “Yes” to…I mean you prayed God use me and he is trying to use you…But you need to be open

Well pastor Gordon never never found someone else to lead the youth ministry...

And I am just this ordinary guy who way paying , “God use me” and he did.

And soon kids were coming to know Jesus.

Soon we were baptizing kids and Ernie and my brother had a full youth worship band and we packed out the youth room with kids

I kept praying “God use me”

I went to Seminary…I found my wife here…We built another worship service at 7pm called Ethos…And those days formed me...

Little did I know that Pastor Gordon would pass away and enter his heavenly home. And God would call me to lead this beautiful and wonderful community

Little did I know that prayer would change my life....

See when you pray “God, use me” you open yourself up to become an instrument of the lord. You open yourself up to His use and his purposes and not your own will or your own desires.

When you pray “God use me” You are making a declaration before the Lord: that these hands are his.

These feet are his...

This mouth is his tool to reach the world

Because prayer is coming before God and requesting something. It is literally approaching the throne room of the one who created the world and everything in it and begging God for something.

There is this wonderful picture of this prayer “God use me” in the life of Isaiah. flip with me to Isaiah 6.

Isaiah 6:1-8

The New International Version Chapter 6

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

In an instant Isaiah is transported to the throne room of God and I imagine that his response before God is the same as our would be.

He recognizes that he is not nearly good enough to be there...

He sees the awe and the splendor of a Holy God...

He says I am a man of unclean lips …and my family is all screwed up just like me...

So God touches him and makes him clean

God removed Isaiah’s excuse

And says…Ok Now who should I send? Who will go and give this message?

And Isaiah Says “Here am I. Send me”

Isaiah basically says “God use me”

And when Isaiah becomes open before God to be used by God everything changes for him.

He is used by God to proclaim when the messiah will come

That he will be born of a virgin

that he will be born in Bethlehem from the line of David

Isaiah was used by God to reveal what God’s big plan was for humanity, that a savior would come and make all things new!

Its all because he was before the Lord and he showed an openness too being used by God

I just can’t help wonder what would come if this church collectively started praying God use me.

Because I can tell you that God powerfully answers prayer

Mata Story

I want to invite up Daniel Mata and Ernie Reyes…Last weekend when they were off camping they witnessed a car flying off the side of a mountain…They had no idea at the time but they were witnessing a suicide attempt....

Daniel and his grandpa were on the dock of a lake getting ready to fish when they saw this...

Daniel…What went through your mind?

What did you say?

Ernie: What were the results of this?

Now Daniel didn’t throw that guy in the lake and baptize him…But he planted a seed of faith in that man’s life

And he did it because he prayed…and God used him

But many of us treat prayer as if it is a Vegas slot machine…We pray one time…We throw a quarter in the good old Slot Machine of God and we are like dang! I didn’t hit the jackpot. Then we move on…Because the machine didn't pay out

Well this is not what God is like. This is not the character of God at all

Right after Jesus taught about the Lord’s prayer in Luke 11, this is what he said:

Luke 11:5-8

The New International Version (Chapter 11)

 ”5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

So first Jesus teaches the disciples the Lord’s prayer:

Then he gives the disciples this example about asking a friend for bread...

The friend is already in bed and he is like hey…The house is buttoned down for the night…and in these first century homes you are having to step over people and animals...

Jesus says…Keep knocking on your friends door!

In the same way:

Keep knocking on the door of God

Getting up to open the door was a huge ordeal...

I have often wondered why God wants us to keep knocking…Why doesn't he just answer the first time?

And I think the answer is something around this

The knocking shapes us

The daily knocking at the door of God forms habits within us

The waiting for God to answer breaks the power of hurry in our lives

The knocking on God’s door leads us to ask the question differently…it causes us to examine what we are asking

The daily knocking on the door of God is God’s way of pruning us and shaping us into new kinds of people.

And Jesus says just keep knocking on the door...

The way that Jesus says it

In prayer, be shameless and don’t give up

You should try to annoy God!

Prayer is a request, we live in a world where we request things from each other all the time.

God wants you to continue to request from him

He wants you to continue coming to him with shameless audacity because that is what relationships are.

I love at the end Jesus talking about prayer, Jesus equates prayer to a father and son relationship...

Luke 11:11-13

The New International Version (Chapter 11)

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Like if your kid is hungry for a fish, would you give him a snake?

No! Because you love your kid!

And you want Good things for your kid...

That is what prayer is...

Prayer is coming regularly to the God of the universe and requesting that his will be done in your life and in your church.

And he is a good father! God actually wants and desires good things for you!

But don’t miss what Jesus says in verse 13

Luke 11:13

13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Did you catch that...

It’s like prayer is the language that God is training us to speak..

God trains the church to keep coming to the door of God and to keep knocking…If you don’t now what to pray, then Pray “GOD USE ME!”

But at the very end of his talk on prayer…Jesus says…You know…Prayer is really just the tool that is used to pour out the spirt of God!

Church!

Prayer is the language of the church & the Spirit is the breath of the church.

They go together!

You can not separate them

Jesus is saying that he is pleased to give the spirit out to all those who ask

Every Sunday that I have been here…It has been my prayer that God would pour his spirit on us and those watching at home.

Church…Knock on the door of God…Go to him with shameless audacity and ask that he pour his spirit out in your life!

The spirit of God is the same spirit that hovered over the waters of creation, it is the same spirit that was leading moses in the wilderness, it is the same spirit that was lead David as King of Israel and it is the same spirit

The Apostle Paul tells the church that you are a revolutionary bunch: He says

1 Corinthians 3:16

The New International Version Chapter 3

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

It’s as if Paul is saying…don’t you get it?

God dwelt with man in the garden but then there was sin and God and man then separated

Then God dwelt in Israel in the Temple...

But only one guy, one time a year got to go into the presence of God

And now…You…and the you here is plural, he is not talking about a building any more..>He is saying your bodies are temples and God wants to dwell powerfully with each one of you

God wants you to live life with him every day

His spirit is available to you to work through your lives

1. the most revolutionary family in the world, with the most revolutionary mission in the world

You are the family of God, filled with the spirit of God on the mission of God

And Church

remain in God’s word

Read the word!

And Church people are watching you: Act accordingly:

Love is the currency of the church

Spend and be spent for the gospel

Prayer is the language of the church & the Spirit is the breath of the church.

And church Pray.

Don’t stop knocking on the door of God

Its through prayer that God will pour out his spirit on this place.

It is through a community of people who are praying “God use me” that will transform this community!

Challenge

This morning if you are here and you are hearing what it is I am saying…I want to challenge you to pray “God use me”

With a community that is praying “God use me”…No loss of a pastor could ever slow you down

With a community that is committed to praying “God use me” my presence here will be inconsequential...

Just imagine with me for a second…Which one of our kids will be pastoring this church one day because they began praying “God use me”

Which one of you will preach your first sermon because you prayed “God use me”?

Which one of you will lead your friends to christ because you prayed “God use me”

Which one of you will experience transformation in your families in your friends in your workplace because God is using you as his hands, his feet and his mouth?

Maybe your here today and you just need to commit that you will pray God use me...

NOT just once...

But daily you need to knock on the door of God and ask him to use you and to pour his spirit out on you

He will do it...

So if that is you I want to invite you to stand up…I’d like to pray for you

Pray

Mike Cochran

This morning I want to thank someone who has been a prayer warrior for me…Someone who has gone to battle for me

Mike Cochran and I have been praying every Monday morning for a number of years now. so I have this gift for him to thank him and it is also to give all of you a picture of what it means to pray for others.

Praying isn’t just knocking on the door of God, it is going to battle.

Mike has prayed for me and for this church every night.

Mike you are a prayer warrior. I got you this sword as a symbol of my appreciation toward you and as a reminder to continue to go to battle and pray

This is a King Solomon Replica Sword, made to remember King David

Finally: all of you have a Prayer Card: that says, “God use me”

I was so sincere when I prayed that because I wanted God to use me…and he took me on this journey

I want to invite you into praying that prayer

What would God have you do here at NCF?

I want to see on facebook down the road that you prayed “God use me” and now you are leading a Bible study

I want to see on that you prayed “God use me” and now you are leading a discipleship class

I want to see on that you prayed “God use me” and now you are doing outreach and evangelism

I want to see a people who place their lives at the alter of God and are used powerfully by him

Romans 8:19

The New International Version Chapter 8

19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

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Nostalgic

God has done amazing things here

I have baptized you…I have done your weddings

I have buried your family members

The String:

Rarely can you get string to go where you want by pushing…You have to pull it to get it to where you want to go.

Jesus gave an analogy of his burden being light…He was saying that he will come alongs side you and pull the work...

The work of Jesus is a pulling work and never a pushing work...

It is my fear that we in the church are allowing the secular world to pull us into its ethics…We allow the secular world to pull us along really slowly until there is no distinguishing factor between us and the rest of the world

So I am giving you all what Merwin Maginson gave me...

String

You will never be able to push it to where it needs to go

The Rublev:

I preached on the trinity one day and used this rublev painting of the trinity to explain trinitarian theology and…This happens all the time when you preach by the way…sometimes you say something then learn from yourself...

When I saw this

The Cake Topper

Many of you will remember the loud, boisterous, completely wonderful Lynn Craig. I have kept this cake topper in my office where I can see it. as a reminder of a few things.

1. People can see things that I can not see: Desiree and I were not even dating yet…but we were spending all of our time together and Lynn gave me this

Spiritual Leadership

Pastor Gordon Gave me this book years ago, and had I known how life changing it would be, I would have read it once a year for the rest of my life…But I just read it cover to cover this year.

This book reminds me of all those who have invested in me over the years and to keep investing in God’s kingdom

“The departure of a strong and dominating leader makes room for others to emerge and develop. Often when the weight of responsibility falls suddenly on his or her shoulders, a subordinate develops abilities and qualities he and others has not suspected he had had. Joshua would never have developed into an outstanding leader and he remained one of Moses lieutenants”

“Since our leader conducts his work in the power of an endless life he is the same yesterday, today and forever changes in human leader ship should not shake or dismay us.”

Final Admonishment

The Dallas Willard quote

“You must arrange your life so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy and confidence in your every day life with Jesus”

Church…This is my prayer for you. That you would organize your lives around Jesus...