Desiring Prayer
Series: INTIMACY & AWE
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 2nd February 2019
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 The movie Avatar came out, how amazing it was when it first came out.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:11 And I remember talking to one person, and I was waxing lyrical about how great it was.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:15 But they said that they didn't think it was that good.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:22 And sure, it was a bit of a rehash of Pocahontas with aliens, but it looked amazing.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 They disagreed again, they didn't think it was anything special.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 I said, I can't believe it, it was cutting edge.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:31 The 3D was phenomenal.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 Ah, I saw it in 2D.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 I didn't want to pay the extra for 3D.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 Ah, that's why you missed out.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:44 You missed out on seeing the movie as it was supposed to be seen.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 It was so vibrant.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:51 The animals, the aliens, the plants, they were jumping off the screen.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 It was like you could touch it.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 You really missed out.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:03 Today we're starting a new series on prayer as we seek awe and intimacy with God.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 And prayer is a delight.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 It's a privilege that we can pray to a God who listens to us.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 Prayer is where we come before our Heavenly Father and we talk to Him.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:17 We bring our requests and our pains and our griefs.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:21 But the reality is that prayer is also hard.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 I'm sure all of us know the temptation not to pray.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:29 Whether we're tired or we're busy or maybe we don't know how.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:35 Maybe we occasionally throw up an emergency prayer, like a flare to God.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 God, help me out with the job I've got coming up.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 Help me find this job.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 Help me with the interview.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:42 Help me with money.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 It's a bit tight at the moment.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 But I'm sure that many of us don't really pray unless we're desperate.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 Because our human hearts don't naturally desire to pray.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 It means we need to admit our weakness.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 And that God is in control and that we're not.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 Has the Christian God that many of us have put our faith in,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:12 has the relationship with Him been as good as we expected?
00:02:12 --> 00:02:18 I wonder, is it possible that we have a 2D relationship with God?
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 You know, all the pieces are there.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 You can still see the same thing.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 You know, you've still got Jesus on the cross.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:25 We can still read the Bible.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 But the relationship is just fine.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 It's just okay.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:36 Can you imagine having a 3D relationship with God?
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 Where you could say that it is just so vibrant.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:40 It is delightful.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:40 It's delightful.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 It's like you could touch Him.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 And it's life-changing.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 Can you imagine having a closer relationship with God?
00:02:49 --> 00:02:53 One that is rich and satisfying and nourishes the soul.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 Is it possible that there is something amazing that we've missed out on?
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 Is it possible that we've missed a trick on prayer out of a laziness or busyness
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 or just misunderstanding?
00:03:04 --> 00:03:09 And it's meant we've actually missed out on an intimate relationship with God Himself?
00:03:10 --> 00:03:17 Is it possible that the extra D to make it 3D is actually the D of devotion to prayer?
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 One of our core values.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:26 Today we're going to begin to see the joy and delight of prayer.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 It's going to be a wake-up call.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 We're going to spend five weeks on prayer.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 We're not going to hear everything about prayer tonight.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 This is just the start.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:40 But I hope it's going to be like placing those 3D glasses over our eyes
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 so that we can see the joy of talking to our Heavenly Father.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 And so today as we seek to desire prayer,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:53 we're going to want to go from a dry to a nourishing relationship with God.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 We're going to hope to go from duty to delight in prayer.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:02 And I'm going to hope for us that we pray instead of wanting to get things from God
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 so that we actually get God Himself.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 And so let me pray as we look at God's Word.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 Heavenly Father, we want to know You better
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 and we want to be in relationship with You.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 We want to be in a close relationship with You, Lord.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:26 Father, in particular today we ask that You would give us a desire to pray.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:31 Not just to read Your Word, but to talk to You.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:33 Amen.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 We're going to start in that passage that Nick read for us
00:04:36 --> 00:04:41 as we seek to go from a dry relationship to a nourishing relationship.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 So please have your Bibles open at Ephesians 1.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 From verse 15.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:54 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 and your love for all God's people,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 I have not stopped giving thanks for You,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 remembering You in my prayers.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
00:05:05 --> 00:05:06 the glorious Father,
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 may give You the spirit of wisdom and revelation
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 so that You may know Him better.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 I pray that the eyes of Your heart may be enlightened
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 in order that You may know the hope to which He has called you,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 This is Paul's prayer for the people of Ephesus.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 And what stands out is what he keeps asking God for.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:31 Verse 17.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:35 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 the glorious Father,
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 may give You the spirit of wisdom and revelation
00:05:38 --> 00:05:42 so that You may know Him better.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:47 He keeps asking God that they would know God better.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 It is the heart of this prayer.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 He's not asking that they would have new spiritual blessings,
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 that they would have a better condition in life,
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 that they would avoid suffering.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 Although in this church, like many of the early churches,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 it would have been great for them to avoid suffering,
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 but he is praying that they would know God better.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:12 This is a really important thing to be praying.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 In the midst of whatever is going on for the Ephesians,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 whatever is going on for us,
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 to pray that we would know God better,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:26 to know the God that has blessed us very richly.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:33 You only have to glance over the first 14 verses of Ephesians
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 to see how God has blessed them.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 He's a God who has blessed them with every spiritual blessing.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 He's chosen and adopted them.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:43 They're redeemed through His blood.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 They're forgiven.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 They're marked with the Holy Spirit.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 And so this is who the God that they worship is,
00:06:50 --> 00:06:50 that we worship.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 We see Him through His actions.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 He is a generous and loving God,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 and Paul prays that they would know Him better.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 And Paul uses an expression.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:05 He prays that they would have the eyes of their hearts enlightened.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 Now, our hearts don't have eyes,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:14 but the eyes is an expression used to describe a doorway.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 So we would still use the saying,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 the eyes are a doorway to the soul.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:25 But here, the eyes are a doorway to the heart,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 which in the biblical sense,
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 it's the seat of the body, the spirit,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 and even the mind.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 The mind isn't in the head,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:34 it's in the heart.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:35 It's in here.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 We would still use a similar expression.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 What is the way to a man's heart?
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 It is through his stomach.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:46 That's right.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 And I can't wait for food next week.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 But the heart here is the affections.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 It's the desires.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 And so knowing God better
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 is not just about knowing things about God.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 It is about the whole being,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 the whole physical life,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 the emotions and the inner life.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:11 Paul is praying that the way to their entire life,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 to their heart,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:16 might be opened to know this God better.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 And so when we come to God in prayer,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 it is so important that we know
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 the God that we're talking to.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 That's why we said the creed before.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:30 We're not just talking about some kind of vague God.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:34 No, we have a description of who our God is.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:39 And so the better we know him,
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 the better our prayer will be,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 the better our relationship with God will be.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 We can know things about God.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 We can know things about him.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:53 But when we know who his character is,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 when it has gotten into our heart,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 it can turn a dry and formal relationship
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 into one that nourishes the soul.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 Now, I've used that word nourish a couple of times now.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 There are just some relationships that we have,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 some friendships that just,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 they're just really nourishing.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 Maybe you know people that, you know,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 drain you and make you feel exhausted.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 But there are just some people,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 some friendships that we have
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 that just leave you feeling vibrant and excited
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 and just pumped up.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 Do you have those kinds of friends?
00:09:26 --> 00:09:26 Yes?
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 Some of you are nodding.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:27 That's good.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 One of those people to me is my good wife, Alyssa.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 But as parents of a busy family,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 it's not always nourishing.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 Often it's task-focused.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 Deal with this child, feed them, clean that.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:41 We talk about money.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 We talk about calendars.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 I don't get excited about calendars.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 It's not always nourishing.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 But date day, date lunches,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 that's usually a Monday lunch for us,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:54 my day off.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 I could take Alyssa out,
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 maybe eat some dumplings anywhere in Chatswood.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 It doesn't bother me.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 And I could sit and stare into Alyssa's eyes.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 And we don't even need to talk.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 And it is just nourishing for the soul.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 But we don't need to talk
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 because of our long, shared history.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 We can just spend time,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 and I can spend time with Alyssa
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 because of our history together.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 And it's nourishing.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 But imagine if I did that on the first date.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 I don't know if you've dated a person
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 for the first time recently.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 Imagine on the first date,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 they're just sitting there,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:36 staring at you.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 I don't think you'd get to a second date,
00:10:39 --> 00:10:39 do you?
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 Thanks, Nick.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 Obviously, it's not what Sam did.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:44 I'm glad for you.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 Knowing God, like Paul prayed,
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 for this church is so important.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 Dwelling on what he has done,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 on how he has blessed us,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 on who our God is,
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 it nourishes the soul.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 It takes us from talking to God,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 like a servant to a master,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 to a child talking to a God,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 who is a father.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 This is one of the real distinctives
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 about Christianity.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 We don't have a master-servant relationship,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 but it's a child to a father.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 And yet, so often,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 prayer can feel like we're trying
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 to twist God's arm into giving us things.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 You know, getting the parking spot,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:29 getting the job,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 getting the grades at school,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 getting mum and dad off your back,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 whatever it is.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 And God is a generous father,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 and he loves to give us things.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 But if we only pray to God
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 to get things,
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 it's like that 2D movie picture.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 We can miss out on the 3D picture.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 That prayer is not just about
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 getting things from God.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 It's about getting more of God.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 Romans 8, verse 15.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 The Spirit you receive
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 does not make you slaves,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 so that you live in fear again.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 Rather, the Spirit you received
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 brought about your adoption to sonship.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 And by Him we cry,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 Abba, Father.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 that we are God's children.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 Now, if we are children,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 then we are heirs,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:19 heirs of God,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 and co-heirs with Christ.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 Paul, again here in Romans,
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 he's encouraging people,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 they're not slaves,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 but they're made children
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 adopted into this family
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 who can cry out,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 Father.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 But to be able to cry out,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Father,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 means that we have to be
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 sitting under His roof.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 Imagine the picture of,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 from many movies,
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 of an unruly teenager
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 adopted into a new family.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 For that family to work,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 He's going to have to
00:12:49 --> 00:12:53 sit under that roof
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 and under that authority.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 And so for us,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 as children before our Father,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 we need to submit to Him.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 To draw near to God
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 is to acknowledge that
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 God is God with a big capital G,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 and that we are the child.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 And so it looks like
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 not rebelling against
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 our Heavenly Father,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 but choosing obedience,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 choosing to follow,
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 to come before God
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 in a posture of trust,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 like the chick
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 under the chicken's wing,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 the hen's wing.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 Because God is the one
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 who is in control
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 of all situations.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 And it's that posture
00:13:34 --> 00:13:34 we come to Him
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 when we pray.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 And so when we know
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 who God is,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 and dwell on that,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 it leads to trusting in God.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 And when we trust in Him,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 we can draw close,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 submitting to Him,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 and it leads to intimacy.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 And to be God's child,
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 like Romans 8 says,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 means that we are His heirs,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 and the heir has an inheritance
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 from the Father.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 So we don't just come to God
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 to get things from God.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 We come to God in prayer
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 because we trust Him to be God.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 And that way we get more
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 of God Himself
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 by submitting and drawing near.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 We pray to get God.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 We pray to be close to Him,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 to be intimate,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 and in relationship with Him.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 And God loves to give us
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 the things that we need.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 As I've gotten older,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 the more my preference
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 for birthday presents
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 and Christmas presents
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 has changed.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 They used to be about
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 getting the things I want,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 but the best presents,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 it turns out,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 aren't things,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 although things are good,
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 it's the people giving them.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 It's the reason my kids' craft
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 is so special and meaningful.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 And, you know,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 if you're a leader of my kids,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 thank you for doing craft
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 with them this morning.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 If you go into my,
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 into the church office
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 and go to my desk,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 you will see my kids' art
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 all around my desk.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 Not because it's particularly good,
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 but because my children
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 are special
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 and because they're important to me.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 When we just expect God
00:15:14 --> 00:15:17 to be a prayer-answering piñata,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 when we use prayer as a stick
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 to get things from Him,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 we miss out on an intimate relationship
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 with a Father who loves us.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 Prayer isn't just about
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 getting things from God,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 it is about drawing near to Him
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 in submission to His will,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 knowing that He is in control.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 Maybe you're thinking at this point,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 okay, okay,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 you've convinced me, sure,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 I need to pray more,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 that sounds good,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 drawing near to God through prayer,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 but I just don't want to.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 Prayer is hard
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 when it's not intimate,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 when it's not nourishing.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 It can just feel like a duty
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 that we just have to do.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 Maybe even today,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 at the prayers
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 that have been said up the front,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 you've just said amen at the end.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 Maybe we just go through the motions
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 at church,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 at me,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 even at home.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 How can prayer go from duty
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 to delight?
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 Jesus has a warning for us
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 when it comes to prayer
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 from Matthew 6.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 When you pray,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 do not be like the hypocrites,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 for they love to pray
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 standing in the synagogues
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 and on the street corners
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 to be seen by others.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 Truly, I tell you,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 they have received their reward in full.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 But when you pray,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 go into your room,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 close the door,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 and pray to your Father
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 who is unseen.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 Then your Father,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 who sees what He's done in secret,
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 will reward you.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 And when you pray,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 do not keep on babbling
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 like pagans,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 for they think
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 they will be heard
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 because of their many words.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 Do not be like them
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 if your Father knows
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 what you need
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 before you ask Him.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 The hypocrites,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 most likely the Pharisees,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 they saw it
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 as something they had to do
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 to pray to God.
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 And so they would do it
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 so that they could get a reward.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 They would do it out in public.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 And people would see them
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 and go,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 oh, these are Pharisees.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 They're praying for us.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 Aren't they so pious and wonderful?
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 And they would get their reward.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 They weren't praying
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 out of relationship.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 They were praying out of duty.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 The pagans,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 well,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 they prayed for long periods of time
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 to try to get their God to hear them.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 Maybe God will hear me
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 if I pray for long periods of time.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 But that's not an intimate relationship.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 Jesus says something radically different.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 Go and pray in secret.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 Don't babble.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 Your Father sees you.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 He hears you.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 He knows what you're going to pray for.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 And so Jesus shows
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 that the test
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 of a person's spiritual life
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 is not what we do in public.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 It's not how we go
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 and how we look on a Sunday,
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 whether we can say amen
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 or whether we sing in church,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 but it is about
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 whether we are praying in private.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 It's in those hidden moments
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 that will show
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 whether we have a
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 nourishing,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 intimate relationship
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 with God
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 or not.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 You might be feeling guilty
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 right now.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 That's not my intention.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 And over the five weeks
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 of this series,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 we hope to grow
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 in prayer together.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 But right now,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 I just want to show
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 that we can delight
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 in prayer
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 in all seasons.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 In the Old Testament
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 prophetic book,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 Habakkuk,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 they were under
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38 a lot of stress.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 There was
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 a lot of
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 heartache going on.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 Let me read from Habakkuk 3.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 Though the fig tree
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 should not blossom,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 nor fruit be on the vines,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 the produce of the olive fail,
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 and the fields
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 yield no food,
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 the flock be cut off
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 from the fold,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 and there be no herd
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 in the stalls.
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 That paints a terrible
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 picture of famine
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 and starvation.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 Yet,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 I will rejoice
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 in the Lord.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 I will take joy
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 in the God
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 of my salvation.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 Because Habakkuk
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 knows who his God is,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 that he is a God
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 of salvation,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 even though
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 everything around him
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 looks terrible,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 he can still
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 rejoice
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 in his God
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 and delight in him.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 And so when we know
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 every blessing
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 that we have received,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 because God loves us,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 we can rejoice.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 We can come to God
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 as his child
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 because we know
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 that he has saved us
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 through his son's death
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 and resurrection.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 It means our prayers
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 can go from duty
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 to delight.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 We don't have to pray
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 to twist God's arm.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 We don't have to pray
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 long prayers
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 just so he'll hear us.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:58 Take something
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 like the Lord's Prayer
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 from Matthew 6.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 Has anybody ever
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 prayed this prayer
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 before the Lord's Prayer?
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 How many times
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 do you think
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 he would have
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 prayed this prayer?
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 A lot?
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 I wonder
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 how many times
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 it's been
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 prayed in the church.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 Did anybody
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 that was here this morning
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 try and crunch
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 those numbers
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 for how many times
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 we've prayed
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 the Lord's Prayer
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 in this church?
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 Steve's just doing
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 some quick calculations
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 in his mind.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 I wonder
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 how many times
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 has the Lord's Prayer
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 been prayed here?
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 How many times
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 has it just been done
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 by a rote
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 by the people
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 in the church?
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 When we have
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 a dry relationship
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 with God
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 when we don't
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 have his blessings
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 in Christ
00:20:44 --> 00:20:46 in front of our eyes
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 saying the Lord's Prayer
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 can just be something
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 we do from memory
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 something we just
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 read off the screen
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 and it can have
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 no meaning
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 no joy
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 and no delight
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 in God.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 But when you're
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 holding on to
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 God's promises
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 it means this
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 simple prayer
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 that Jesus
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 taught his disciples
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 to pray
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 can be a delight.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 Knowing how much
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 God loves us
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 and his graciousness
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 to us
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 even though we sin
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 makes his forgiveness
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 so much more delightful.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 And so it can take
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 some simple words
00:21:18 --> 00:21:21 forgive us our sins
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 have so much more
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 meaning and significance
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 when we know
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 how depraved we are.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 Even when I'm well fed
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 and I'm physically
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 nourished
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36 I can rejoice
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 and delight
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 in the God
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 who provides
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 not just my food
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43 but all things for me.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 And so I can pray
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 give us today
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 our daily bread
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 and these words
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 can have so much
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 more meaning
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 and delight.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 Again
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 I'm talking a lot
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 about my wife tonight
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 that's okay.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 In my relationship
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 with Alyssa
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 I can walk out the door
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 and just say
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 I love you
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 goodbye
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 and it can just be
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 something I say.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 I've said that
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 a thousand times before
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 and it can just be
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 something I say.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 I can even say it
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 in the midst of conflict
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 you know
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 if we
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 if we went to bed
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 fighting
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 you know
00:22:15 --> 00:22:17 just say those words.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 I can say it
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 half-heartedly
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 but I can also say
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 those three little words
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 with all of the weight
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 of our nearly 12 years
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 of marriage
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 behind them.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 Our prayer
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 can be something
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 we just do
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 out of duty
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 or it can be
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 a delight
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 to rejoice
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 with a God
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 who delights in us
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 that despite our sin
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 despite our depravity
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 he has showed us
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 grace and love.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 I wonder
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 how differently
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 we would be
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 as a church
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 if we prayed
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 like this.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 If we were people
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 who delighted
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 to pray
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 not just to get
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 things from God
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 but because we've
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 already got him
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 because we've got
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 every blessing
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 and we are his children
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 and we want to
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 draw near to him.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 What would we be like
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 as a church
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 if we had that third D
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 the devotion
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 to prayer?
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 Would we delight
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 in the people
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 that God places
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 around us
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 because of us
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 delighting in God?
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 Would we extend
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 the hand of friendship
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 to others
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 because we have
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 an intimate friendship
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 with God?
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 Would we just
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 pray prayers
00:23:30 --> 00:23:33 appreciating the things
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 around us
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 and not always
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 thinking about
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 how much better
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 life could be?
00:23:38 --> 00:23:41 Would we pray prayers
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 appreciating who God
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 is
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 instead of to
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 get things from God?
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 You may not feel
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 particularly equipped
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 for prayer
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 at this point
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 but my desire
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 is that we would
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 just want
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 to talk to God.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 And so
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 I've just recently
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 started reading
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 through the Psalms
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 and I've been
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 summarizing them
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 and praying them
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 every night.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 I think I've done
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 five days in a row
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 and they have been
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 wonderful.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 I'm not sure
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 if you've ever
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 tried to read
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 the Bible at night.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 I've always failed
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 at reading the Bible
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 at night.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 I don't know why.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 I get into bed
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 and I fall asleep.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 I go to bed
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 regardless of the time
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 and I go,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 great!
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 Time to read the Psalms
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 and pray.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 It has been wonderful.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 And so I'm going
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 to be doing something
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 for the next four weeks,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 the next four Wednesdays.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 I'm going to be down
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 at a cafe
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 that looks like this.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 It's called Pichon.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 Does anybody know
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 where Pichon is?
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 Yes?
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 Where is it?
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 Near the station.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 Just down that way,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 near the train station,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 next to Woolworths.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 You've got the train station,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 you go up the escalator,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 you turn left,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 you kind of go around
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 a little bit
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 and it's right there.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 I don't know
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 if it's the best coffee.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 It's got a good cafe,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 a good coffee machine,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 a Lamazocca,
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 so it's good.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 But I like it
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 because there's space inside.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 And so I'm going
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 to be there
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 every Wednesday
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 for the next four weeks
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 from 7am
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 till 8am.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 I'm going to probably
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 go to the gym after that,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 you can join me
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 for that too.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 Please come and pray with me.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 If you don't feel
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 particularly equipped
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 to pray,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 come and let's figure
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 it out together.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 I'm going to be
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 reading my Bible,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 praying every Wednesday
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 for the next four weeks
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 at this cafe.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 If you don't have
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 anything to do
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 because uni hasn't started,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 you can get up early
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 and come and pray
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 and then go home
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 and go back to sleep.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 That's okay.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:31 And so what we're
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 going to do now
00:25:31 --> 00:25:34 is Sarah is going
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 to click through
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 the Lord's Prayer
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 slowly for us.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 And what I want
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 to do as a church
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 is just to spend
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 some time
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 praying through
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 the Lord's Prayer
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 individually.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 And so as these
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 different slides come up,
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 instead of just
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 praying it,
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 spend a moment
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 delighting in the truth
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 that this has for us.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 We'll spend
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 a couple of minutes
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 doing this
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 and then I'm going
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 to pray through
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 the Lord's Prayer
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 for us together.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 So please take
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 a couple of moments
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 to pray
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 and I'll pray
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 for us in a couple of minutes.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:44 to pray
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 in calcs.
00:26:45 --> 00:27:15 Thank you.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:45 Thank you.
00:27:45 --> 00:28:15 Thank you.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:24 Lord, help us to not miss out on the privilege of being able to come to the foot of your throne and to talk to you.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:29 Help us to delight in you, Lord.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 Hallowed be your name.
00:28:31 --> 00:28:37 Father, we ask that we would praise and glorify you.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:43 That we would treasure Jesus above all other things in our lives.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:46 And that all the glory would go to you, Lord.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:49 Your kingdom come.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:59 Heavenly Father, we ask that we would see your kingdom come into our lives.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:09 That we personally would seek to see the gospel expressed in our lives so that people around us would see it.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:14 So that it would spread forth from this church into Chatswood and all across Sydney.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:19 So that your kingdom would spread here and across the world, Lord.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:24 Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:31 Heavenly Father, we ask that you would help us to come before you in submission.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:38 That we would choose to do your will so that we could draw close to you, Lord.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:42 Father, we thank you that we call you Father.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:47 Help us to come before you and not to flee and run away.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:51 Give us today our daily bread.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:57 God, I thank you again so much for how you have richly provided for us.
00:29:58 --> 00:30:04 Physically, spiritually, emotionally, through our Lord Jesus.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:08 Father, but it is easy to take the things we have for granted.
00:30:08 --> 00:30:11 To take the food for granted that we have.
00:30:12 --> 00:30:16 And to take our financial wealth for granted.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:21 Father, again I ask that we would not treasure anything above Jesus.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:28 But help us to come before you daily in dependence upon you, Lord.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:33 Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:40 Lord, that you would forgive even people like us.
00:30:40 --> 00:30:45 Just speaks to your graciousness to us, Lord.
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 Father, help us to be like you.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 To forgive others, Lord.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:54 And we ask that we would not be led into temptation.
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 Deliver us from evil, Lord.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:59 Deliver us from the world and from the devil.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:04 Help us not make you sad or grieved by the things we do.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:10 But we ask that you would help us to bring honor and glory to you.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:14 Lord, the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:16 Now and forever.
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 Amen.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 Amen.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 Amen.