Luke 11:1-4
Notes
Transcript
Dedication
Dedication
Ruby Rose Fenrich
Chris and Hannah Fenrich
Delilah Ruth Auten
Michael and Wendy Auten
by coming forward before God and his people, do you hereby declare your desire to dedicate yourselves and CHILD to the Lord? If so, please respond by saying "we do." ("We do.")
Having come freely, I ask now that you enter into the following commitment in the presence of God and his people (Wife hands child to husband as a sign of his spiritual headship in the family).
So that (CHILD may walk in the abundant life that Christ offers, do you (PARENTS) vow by God's help and in partnership with the church, to provide (CHILD) a Christian home of love and peace, to raise him in the truth of our Lord's instruction and discipline, and to encourage him to one day trust Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord? ("We do.")
Finally, I ask that the church make a vow as well. As believers in the body of Christ, we have a responsibility to teach the Gospel story to our younger generation.
So that (CHILD) may walk in the abundant life that Christ offers, do you vow by God's help, to be faithful in your calling as members of the body of Christ, to help (PARENTS) be faithful to God, and to help teach and train (CHILD) in the ways of the Lord so that he might one day trust him as Savior and Lord? If you accept this responsibility, please respond by saying "we do."
Introduction
Introduction
Continuing Study of Luke today in Ch 11 looking at just the first 4 verses: what we call the Lord’s Prayer.
Why just 4 verses?
As my friend Dan Wilt says:
Prayer is a mystery wrapped in an enigma locked in a conundrum thrown into a sea of paradox.
Most of us would say prayer is a believer’s top priority and yet it’s something we have no clue what we’re talking about.
We can find some clues about what Jesus talks about.
Teach Us To Pray
Teach Us To Pray
Learning prayers as a child
Learning prayers as a child
Now I lay me...
God is great...
Jewish children learned to recite the prayers of the Jewish faith.
John the Baptist had some things to say on the subject of prayer…gave his followers some direction.
There’s Something Different
There’s Something Different
Jesus’ prayers as we understand them were remarkable because of how often he prayed, how simply he prayed and that he talked with God as Abba. Father. Dad.
Jesus probably taught his disciples to pray on more than one occasion.
But this time, after Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples made a request/asked a question.
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Teach Us to Pray/How Do We Pray?
Teach Us to Pray/How Do We Pray?
There is something they experience, see in him, witness that is more powerful, life changing, etc than they've ever seen in their lives when he is speaking and working signs and wonders but that's not what they want to learn from him.
Most on their mind - How is it that you have such an intimate relationship/union with God that you know him?
Paul helps us understand this in Romans 12:2: Prayer (proseuche) seems to be Paul’s term for the deep inner posture of one’s being toward God in open receptivity and pliable responsiveness that creates in us radical trust in the care of a loving father and oneness with God.
His praying is so much an attitude - a posture...
The disciple saw this and had questions
The disciple saw this and had questions
How can we have that?
What are the words for it?
How do you talk with God - form, way you do it - teach us the way.
I Don’t Because I Don’t Know How
I Don’t Because I Don’t Know How
Don't know how to do it. Say yes to what you're being asked to do. Say yes, and learn how to do it.
Learn about how to do it and then do it and in the doing, you will learn how to do it.
The process becomes the teacher. Have to enter the process first.
Our Father
Our Father
Our
Our
So much I and individualism in Christianity today. God I this and I that.
A big reason whey we experience so much brokenness.
We are I's within the we.
OUR restores a sense and practice of community. We are never ever praying alone.
Father
Father
This is who you are approaching; who you are engaging with. Remember this all the time.
The one who exists in two overlapping spheres; who is a house of love, affection, security, protection.
The one who loves me, names me, gives me my identity. The one who is always a safe place for me.
Imperative mood, passive tense - sound like commands
Be holy your name
Come your kingdom
Be done your will.
Tone of reverence from the place of intimacy.
Intimacy and reverence are always held in tension.
Not intended to be a form that you should always say but rather like a song that has many iterations.
Sometimes born out of anger over injustice - COME your kingdom...
Then other times when broken over the struggles our kids are having or sadness over the loss of a friend, come, your kingdom...
Different sound of the same prayer.
Jesus is giving a framework not intended to tell him what to do but you let this song be sung from your place of deepest intimacy with your father.
Let your will be done
Let your will be done
Magic - doing the right formula to get the spiritual power to do your will.
Prayer - from place of intimacy and reverence inviting the Lord to whom we pray to do his will in and through you in your set of circumstances in which he has invited you to participate in and with him. That's the mystery. He wants us involved.
Pray from a place of intimacy and partner with God in what he is doing in the world. What Jesus did - prayed what he already saw the Father doing.
Start from love of God and we can handle what he does and doesn't do because love is what we always come back to.
Surrendering to the Father's will
Surrendering to the Father's will
3 things that have to do with us (this is what's about us)
As we lean into the first part:
Bread: continuous present. Keep giving as we consistently look to you.
Forgive us - forgiveness flows from God’s grace. A heart that is unforgiving can’t receive it. Praying to do his will in and through us; responding to his invitation to participate in and with him - this is what he wants us to be involved in at the very foundational of our lives.
Temptation: We’re weak.
So I will position myself to cooperate with God who works - the spirit in and and through me.
Not prayer that works. It is God that works. Prayer positions us to cooperate with God who works.
Doxology
Doxology
I remind myself that you are in charge and I ask you to bring your rule and reign into this moment.
For Yours...Yours is the kingdom: the rule and reign. The Power.
He will have the last word, not the politicians, not the news casters.
Inaugurated Eschatology. The end things (not destruction but that moment when God is in all and through all, everything is healed and restored; the full shalom peace is inaugurated into the now. The kingdom has come but also not yet come.
There will be pain but mingled with miracles. Transformations of mind, heart, body because the spirit is moving in the now; the kingdom is here - it is within your reach.
But, there is also a theology of suffering where it is not all fixed. it's not come in all its fullness but it will. And Jesus will have the last word on everything in our lives.
We live in the tension here. God does things in this world but we don't say if you're not experiencing good things it's your fault. There is a kingdom to come in all its fulness.
Though the rulers of this age seek to take power and rule and glory, you will receive it all in the end. We trust your unfolding story.
Invited to Partner
Invited to Partner
We partner with God and have actions to take in the world.
God chooses a person, they have power and then walk into situations and make things happen.
Scripture: HS in us and on us.
The HS is in me and the power I have is to courageously and obediently step into the situation I am terrified of.
John Wimber: Faith is spelled RISK. As we step into that moment, the spirit of God meets us in it.
He says:
I want you to be kingdom people who are listening and by my spirit being guided in your prayer according to my mission of setting people free, telling good news to the poor and binding up the brokenhearted and to do the will of God.
You have that power in you.
I want you to get there and then trust I will provide the wisdom, etc to do, say, etc.
We want the character of God who is near to be seen in and through us.
We step into those moments, Jesus meets us with his power and stirs his spirit within us and good things happen in the moment or over the long haul.