THE MOUNT - PRAYER (MAYBE TOUCH ON FASTING AS WELL?)

Pray

The Rifleman's Creed (also known as My Rifle and The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine. Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor between late 1941 and early 1942, and its first publication was in San Diego in the Marine Corps Chevron on March 14, 1942. His reasoning for writing the Creed is believed to be that he felt that his men had to understand the concept "that the only weapon which stands between them, and Death is the rifle…they must understand that their rifle is their life…" (picture)

To this day, 80 years later, The Rifleman's Creed continues to stand as a pillar concerning the ethos of the Marine Corps. In recruit training for enlisted Marines and Officer Candidates School for commissioned officers, the Rifleman's Creed is inescapable. While its continued recitation varies from company to company, platoon to platoon, its presence is assured during the period of recruit training. The Rifleman's Creed is one of the keystones of the United States Marine Corps doctrine and helps designate that every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman regardless of Military Occupational Specialty (or MOS) designation.[1] the Rifleman's Creed is printed within the data book of each marine candidate to ensure that prior to picking up a weapon a Marine understands what their rifle means to them and their Corps. The last page of the data book reinforces this ideology with the quote from General Alfred M. Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps: "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary."[3] The Creed itself utilizes a sense of compelling thinking in order to encourage Marines to see their rifle as more than a simple tool of war. This sense of almost familial attachment that a Marine feels towards their rifle is paramount, as a Marine would never leave a man behind, they would also not leave their rifle.

The Rifleman's Creed goes like this:

This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will ...

My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit ...

My rifle is human, even as I am human, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights, and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ...

Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!

This morning, we remember the words of Major General William H. Rupertus, who after the attack of pearl Harbor realized that each member of the United States Marines, must view their rifle not just as a tool for the job… but as a key component to their very lives.

You see, for men and women who enter the United States Marine core, they realize very quickly that there very lives, are dependent on the training, use and mastery of the riffle. And while each man and women may have a different occupation within the marines, they all share the common thread of being riflemen and they must master this task before moving on to anything else.

This morning, I felt compelled to share the Rifleman’s creed with us, because ultimately, we must look at prayer as not just a tool. But instead, a key part of who we are as Christians. Just as the marines who realize that their life is dependent on their rifle, and so they have mastered it’s use… we as Christians must use and put into practice our prayer life.

You see, last week, we looked at the value and necessity of giving, next week, we’ll be looking at healing, and this may sound different, but at the end of service next week, we’ll have a time of prayer for those who are dealing with physical ailments. But for this morning, our focus is on the key idea of our prayer life.

So, if you have your bibles, tun with me to Matthew chapter 6 this morning. As you’re turning, they’re we’ll recall that Jesus is preaching one of the most famous sermonsin scripture which we know as the sermon on the Mount. The sermon on the mount covers Matthew 5, 6 and 7 and is the 1st of 5 messages that Jesus preached in the book of Matthew, and you’ll recall that the main theme of these messages is on the topic of discipleship.

There are 4 (or 5) points that I want to draw our attention to this morning as we study Jesus words on the topic of prayer. And we’ll go through them quickly, but first I want us to see the 1. Promise of Prayer, 2. Praise in Prayer 3. Peace in Prayer and 4. Pardon in prayer

1. Beginning with Point Number one. The promise of prayer

Turn with me first to Matthew 6:1 -4: which by the way Jesus first is talking about giving… but hang in there for a moment… Jesus first says: 6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

So, when Jesus talks about giving, the underlying point is to not to practice in front of others, and instead to do so in secret. But in these few verses, we see that in giving to others, that God rewards us… and this concept of being rewarded is mentioned 3 times…

Then Jesus transitions to your prayer life and I want us to notice the similarities. Matthew 6:5-6 says: 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

I find it interesting that even for the hypocrite as Jesus calls them, the one who prays in front of others to show their holiness so to speak… that even they will be rewarded…But again, Jesus makes clear here that first, we are to pray in secret. And it’s not to say that every time we pray, that we are to pray in secret… of course on Sunday mornings and in many settings, we pray as a group… but the goal here is to make sure our heart is in the right place, and we’re not doing it for show. But again, in verse 6 we’re told of the promise of what happens… when we pray… Jesus said: 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

You see last week; we discussed this idea of being blessed or happy in our lives or happy and it was largely conditioned upon what we did with our lives. But here in scripture as we read both about giving first and then about our prayer life, we see that our Father Rewards us for our prayer.

Now, just for the sake of time, we’re not going to cover all the ways in which God blesses us through our prayer life…I think we could talk about this topic for the next year… but I do simply want us to see that God certainly rewards us as we come to him in prayer.

Funny enough, Matthew 6:7-8 Continues and says : “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” And so, we see that God already knows what we need. but yet, he calls us to pray and says that as we do, he will reward us.

2. Praise in Prayer

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

We stop for a moment and notice that prayer doesn’t start with a long list of demands, or expectations… instead… prayer simply starts with the proper perspective… The proper perspective that he is God and that we are not.

By the way, when we see the word Hallowed means: To render as Holy. And Holy by definition is to be 1: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.

Here’s the point, when we come to God and acknowledge that he is Holy… we can take our eyes off of ourselves, off of our problems… and simply come to God who is Holy, good and righteous… and although things may feel heavy in our lives or overwhelming… God comes in, we spends time with Him, and in the process, he reminds us that despite our current emotions in that moment… that he doesn’t change. Rather, that he is perfect, and his way is right, and that he has our best interest at heart.

You see I think of my kids for a moment, who during Christmas time have these Christmas list of things that they want. And the reality is, as their father… I too want them to enjoy certain gifts at Christmas time and wake up to a presents under the tree… but do you know what I’m interested in more then anything? I’m interested in a relationship with my Kids. I want to spend time with them, I want to talk with them and be their father.

This morning, God calls us to us and says “son, daughter, can we just spend a little time together today: Jesus would say a few verses later: 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

You see church, first and foremost God is interested in a relationship with us. One where we focus on His goodness. One where we allow ourselves to be in his presence without interruption or distractions, but just to linger with Him.

Can I ask you something, when we go to the Lord in prayer… do we allow or day to be interrupted for Him? Do we give him the proper time in prayer? Do we go to God and not just list our demands, but here’s one… actually wait to see what he wants to tell us? Friends, God knows what we need before we even asks, and yet he extends an opportunity for us to be pray and have a relationship with us. The question is do we make this a priority? For as we do so, we will see that there is peace in prayer.

3. Third point this morning. Peace in prayer.

Jesus would Go on to teach the crowd how to pray by saying that we should say: 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread.

You see, if we pause for a moment. I think one of the greatest rewards of prayer is that we find freedom in letting Go and letting God.

You see, many of you this morning know that Kim and I have been in the market to buy a house for what seems like an eternity. And although God certainly came through and provided us with the house we currently live in a week before we moved… I can tell you with confidence that our family of 7 will not miss the 900 square foot house that we currently live in.

But in speaking with my mom earlier in the week. She asked me, she said “tommy, are you worried about the appraisal coming in at the right value?” And I went on to explain to my mom that I wasn’t worried at all, and that ultimately if it’s meant to be… then all the details will work out just fine.

Here’s my point, if things go through with the house, and I pray they do… but if they do, then that’s great… and guess what… if things don’t go through with the house friends… that’s great too? Why do I have this perspective, because I trust that God is in control and that he’s working all things out for my good.

Friend this morning, God calls to us and extends peace. Philippians 4:6-7 says:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

How can we do this as Christians? We ultimately surrender our lives and our will to the will of God. We look to his example of prayer as was so displayed during the sermon on the mount and we pray father

Matthew 6:10 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

You see, the problem is when we try to allow our will to take place… it may not align with what God has for us… and friends, God knows what’s best for us in addition, and here’s where I want to encourage some of you this morning, is especially if you deal with worry and anxiety… when you come to a point where you fully let Go and let God… I can tell you from experience, that there is truly freedom here, because no longer do you need to worry about the results of everything that takes place in your life… instead. You can trust God.

We look to Jesus, the night before he is crucified… and being God, he knew exactly what would take place the next day. yet he prayed: 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22:42

Friends, there comes a point in life where we must stop trying to control everything… you see if you can imagine with me for a moment holding a 5lb weight straight out in front of… it’s not too heavy, it’s only 5 lbs. and after the first minute, you may feel okay, but what about after 5 minutes of holding a 5 lb. weight in front of you, what about holding this weight for 10 minutes how about an hour? You see, your body isn’t strong enough to try and hold on to such a weight for such a length of time. In the same way, some of us this morning are dealing with anxiety and worry and stress because we’re trying to hold on to the details of our life so tightly, all the while God is saying to let it go… Let Go and let God…

You see, as you let go, you’ll find freedom. So, I would just ask you, would you say that you deal with anxiety, and stress… and worry? God wants to set you free of that this morning. He wants to take that from you, but ultimately it comes to a point of letting control and saying “Father, not my will… but yours be done.”

4. Pardon in prayer

As I was preparing for this week’s sermon, the words of the hymn: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” came to mind. Which you’ll recall one of the verses says:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

When we stop and we look at the word pardon, it’s described in the dictionary as: “the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense.”

You see the truth is, that we want to be forgiven… We want God to forgive us from our sins and we want others to forgive our sins… but... we can sometimes wrestle with the idea of forgiving others.

Jesus gets to this point in teaching us how to pray and he begins to talk about forgiveness he tells us: 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

You see church, when we talk about forgiveness and prayer… we must realize that it’s a two-way street… Yes, there is the element of going to God and asking him to forgive us from our debts or from our sins… but there’s also the idea that we also forgive or debtors, or forgive others. “Jesus goes on to say, for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you… and this is challenging, but he says, but if you do not forgive others their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins.”

I want us to turn our attention to Matthew 5:21-24 which was earlier during the sermon on the mount Jesus said: 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (By the way the word raca there is the Aramaic word which means a fool or empty-headed person) Scripture continues….

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Can I ask us this for a moment, when we see the words that say: 23 “if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you… Does it where you know you’re clearly in the wrong? Or when that persons right? No, it simply says when they have something against you. Here’s what I mean, your brother can have something against you, and you haven’t done anything wrong. But if in their eyes… you’ve done something wrong… then whether they’re in the right or you’re in the right… you’re still at ends with each other… now certain things we don’t apologize for. I make no apology that I’m a Christian. I make no apology for the decisions in my life that line up with a gods will or word for my life… but if someone feels I’ve done them wrong. Whether they’re right or not isn’t the point... instead, you have to forgive and move on.

You see Romans 12:18 says: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. In other words, there are some people in this life who you simply will not be able to get along with… but even if it’s just for you, your job is to forgive and move on.

You see, there have been times in my past where I’ve apologized for things that I didn’t do wrong. Well, that doesn’t make sense, why would you do that? And the point is, sometimes, we apologize to other person for the sake of our own sanity… You see, life is too short to be worried about all of this over here… I’ve got too much on my plate, and so there’s tension there… I would rather apologize, do my end to cover my bases… then to sulk and let things drag me down… time is too short to be fighting about petty stuff.

You see, it’s not your job to worry about how others respond to you… your job is simply, as far as it depends on you, to live at peace with everyone.

I’m going to call Lisa forward at this time.

And as she’s coming forward, I just want to close with these thoughts:

I just want to close with 2 scriptures 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

You see I don’t know what your circumstances are this morning… or what’s on your heart… I also don’t know What God’s specific will is for your life… but here’s what I do know, whatever your circumstance is this morning, God’s will generally speaking is pray, and give thanks in all circumstance.

You see, I don’t know the type of week you had. Or what you’re carrying this morning. But God came to give us freedom. And the bible says: So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

This morning, there is freedom in God. He welcomes us this morning. Tomorrow morning and each day thereafter. He extends an invitation to you and says:

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Friends would we take comfort in the shelter of His wings this morning and Boldy approach the throne of grace.

Pray –

Don’t Go back and pick up what you left at the cross.