Sunday, June 18, 2017

SERMON: HEARING GOD THROUGH PRAYER


Preached at Enigma UMC

11 June 2017
 
I. Introduction  

 -- turn in Bibles to Colossians 1:9-12

9. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11. being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.


                        -- as we open this morning, I want to share with you a true story about a guy named Bob
            -- Bob was an insurance salesman in Washington, D.C. -- he had just become a Christian and was meeting with a mentor in order to learn more about what it means to be a Christian -- how to live out this new faith that he had just accepted -- one day, he went to meet with his mentor and he was just super excited -- he had just read the part in the Bible where Jesus says, “Whatever you ask for in my name, you shall receive it.”
            -- Bob wanted to know if that is true -- and his mentor said, “Yes, it’s true -- but it’s not like a blank check -- you have to take it in the context of the teachings of the whole scripture and prayer and make sure what you are asking for is in God’s will -- but, yes, Jesus really does answer prayer”
            -- so Bob says, “Then I want to test it -- I need to pray for something” -- so his friend Bob, “Okay, let’s pick something for you to pray about -- and since I truly believe that God is going to answer your prayer, let’s make a bet -- if you pray for six months for this and nothing happens, I’ll give you $500 on the spot -- but, if something does happen, then you owe me $500 -- and, one more thing, if you don’t pray, even for just one day, then our bet is off”
            -- Bob agreed and his friend said, “What do you want to pray for?” -- Bob said, “Well, I’ve always been interested in Africa, so I’m going to pray for Africa.” -- His friend said, “Africa’s pretty big -- why don’t we narrow it down”
            -- So Bob thought for a moment and said, “OK, then, I want to pray for Uganda” -- his friend asked, “Why? -- Have you ever been to Uganda?” -- “no” -- “do you know anybody in Uganda?” -- no -- “then why Uganda?” -- I don’t know -- I just want to pray for Uganda
            -- so they agreed on Uganda and Bob just started praying every day for Uganda -- and for a long time, nothing happened
            -- but then one night Bob was at a dinner in Washington -- and he was making small talk with the lady next to him and he asked her what she did for a living -- she said she helped run an orphanage in Uganda             -- the largest of its kind in the country
            -- so now Bob began to pound her with question after question about Uganda and what she did there and how things were going -- after a while the woman said, “You’re obviously very interested in my country -- have you been to Uganda before?” -- “No.” -- then why are you so interested? -- well, someone is kind of paying me five hundred dollars to pray for Uganda”
            -- before the dinner was over, the woman asked Bob if he would like to come and visit Uganda and tour the orphanage -- Bob was so excited he couldn’t stand it and made arrangements the next day to visit
            -- when he arrived in Uganda, the director of the orphanage gave him a tour of the capital city -- and he was appalled by the poverty and the lack of basic health care -- so, when he got back to Washington, he started to write to the large drug companies, describing to them the vast need he had seen -- He reminded them that every year they would throw away large amounts of medical supplies that went unsold -- “Why not send them to this place in Uganda?” he asked.
            -- and some of them did -- they sent millions of dollars of medicine and supplies to Uganda to be distributed at the orphanage
            -- the director of the orphanage called Bob and said, “This is amazing -- we have had so much help because of you -- will you come over here and join us at a huge celebration this year to celebrate what we have been able to do?”            -- so Bob flew back over to Uganda
            -- while he was there at the party, someone introduced him to the president of Uganda      -- the president offered to take Bob on a tour of the city -- while they were riding around, Bob saw this brand new large building and asked what it was for -- the president said it was a prison for political prisoners who disagreed with the government -- Bob shook his head and said, “You shouldn’t do that -- you should let them go” -- and that was all that was said
            -- they finished the tour and Bob went home to Washington and was surprised a few days later when he had a knock at his door -- he opened the door and there were two men in suits there from the Government wanting to talk to him
            -- “are you Bob?” -- yes -- were you in Uganda recently? -- yes -- did you make any statements about political prisoners?      -- yes   -- what did you say?   -- I told the president he should let them out
            -- they went on to say that they had been working for years to get these prisoners released to no avail, but all of a sudden, the president of Uganda had released them        -- and when the State Department asked why, the president said, “Because Bob asked me to”
            -- by this time, the six months of praying were up -- and Bob went back to his friend and gave him a check for $500 -- Bob said, “You know what -- the Bible is right -- Jesus does hear us when we pray and He does answer our prayers” [illustration modified from John Ortberg]

            -- I appreciate you having me and my family come and join you for worship this morning -- and if there’s nothing else you get from our time together, I want you to get this -- I want you to understand this -- God speaks to us every single day -- God is constantly speaking to us -- through the Bible -- through the church -- through circumstances -- and through prayer
            -- so this morning, I wanted to share with you some thoughts on prayer and on how God continues to use prayer to speak to us and to change this world just as He changed Uganda through the prayers of an ordinary insurance salesman named Bob

            -- everybody knows that, as Christians, we are called to pray to God on a regular basis      -- but the important thing to keep in mind is that prayer is two-way communication with God -- a lot of people think of prayer as us talking to God and asking Him for things -- but God always responds to us when we pray and we need to listen for His voice as we say our prayers to Him
            -- in other words, not only is prayer a time for us to talk to God -- but it is a time for us to listen for God’s response -- the Bible is clear that God hears our prayers and meets our needs, but He does more than that -- through prayer, God changes us and helps us to grow more like Jesus
            -- we see that clearly in this passage in Colossians 1 in the opening of Paul’s letter to the Church at Colosse -- let’s look at it in a little more detail

II. Scripture Lesson (Colossians 1:9-12)
            -- look back at verse 9 with me if you would

9. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

            -- now Paul had heard about the growing faith of the Colossians and of their love for all the saints -- so here in this letter he tells them how, from the moment he has heard of this, he has not stopped praying for them
            -- there’s an important principle that we gain from Paul here in this verse -- our prayers should be constant -- Paul uses the phrase elsewhere that we should “pray without ceasing”
            -- now this doesn’t mean that we should go around all day chanting prayers and doing nothing else -- but it does point to the fact that we need to be persistent in our communication with God -- especially our communication with God on behalf of someone else -- what we call intercessory prayer
            -- if you’re like me, too often your prayer life looks like a rollercoaster -- there will be times when you’re really praying and really pouring your heart out to God        -- and then you’ll have long periods where you don’t even really think of praying
            -- Paul says that our prayers -- if they are to have any value -- have to be persistent            -- they have to be constant -- they have to be done on a regular basis even if we don’t see any answers or any results to start with -- in my opening story, Bob didn’t see any results from his prayer for Uganda for months, but when they came, they really came
            -- we need to get in the practice of setting aside a certain time once a day where we just spend persistent, regular time in prayer with God -- even if we don’t feel like it -- even if we don’t see any results -- the key is persistence -- the key is keeping on doing it because that’s what God wants -- that’s what we see Paul doing right here in this verse      -- “We have not stopped praying for you”

            -- Paul prayed that the Colossians would be “filled” with the knowledge of God’s will      -- this word, “filled,” means something special in the Bible -- it’s not like we think of the word, “filled,” in our day -- it doesn’t mean the same thing -- it’s not like what we mean when we say we fill a glass to rim
            -- the word in the original Greek that we translate as “filled” actually is the same word that is used to talk about a sail on a sailboat being filled with wind  -- it implies being controlled and given direction and meaning by the item doing the filling
            -- for a sailboat, this means that when the sail is filled with wind, the boat moves in a certain direction -- for a Christian, to be “filled” with the knowledge of God’s will means that we are filled with His presence -- we are in such close communion with Him that we know what He wants us to do and we get up and do it -- we are moved to follow Him -- we are given direction and we head out to do what He has called us to do and to become the people He has called us to become -- to be filled in this way is to be active and not passive
            -- if there is ever a prayer that we need now-a-days for the church and for American Christians, it is that we be filled with the knowledge and the presence of God in this way so that we would quit just sitting around but would actually go out and do something for Jesus

            -- Paul prays that the Colossians would know God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding -- this points out to us that, as Christians, we are operating on a whole ‘nother level -- we may be living in this world, but the Bible says that we are not of this world any longer -- we are part of God’s kingdom -- and we live and move and have our being through God and not through the ways of the world
            -- Paul doesn’t pray that the Colossians become wise in the world’s ways   -- he doesn’t pray that they become educated in the things of the world -- but that they would become wise in the spirit -- in other words, Paul is saying that he wants the Colossians to learn God’s ways and to follow God even if it leads them to do things the world wouldn’t understand -- just like Bob praying for Uganda  
            -- Bob praying for Uganda made no sense from the world’s perspective -- but God made a difference through Bob because he prayed with spiritual wisdom for God’s will to be done

            -- so what happens when we pray?
            -- well, two things happen -- first, God hears us and answers us -- the Bible tells us in Psalm 138:3, “when I called, you answered me” -- and in Daniel 9:23 we read, “as soon as you began to pray, an answer was given”      -- and, remember what Jesus said, “Whatever you pray in My Name, you will receive”
            -- when we pray, God hears us and answers our prayers even though the answer may not be what we want -- sometimes the answer might be “no” or “wait”         -- but, always, God hears and answers us when we pray at the very moment we pray

            -- secondly, when we pray, God changes us -- remember that prayer is not just tapping into a heavenly vending machine where we ask for stuff and it drops out of the sky -- prayer is communication with God -- it is part of our relationship with God -- and when we pray, God not only answers our prayers, but He uses this time to change us and make us more like Him

            -- look at verse 10

10. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11. being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.


            -- when we pray and are filled with the knowledge of God’s will and move out under God’s control and His direction, we live lives that are worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way
            -- Paul describes for us here what a life that is pleasing to God looks like:

            -- first, it bears fruit -- that means that we are doing good works for God -- we are touching other people’s lives as God leads us and directs us -- we are meeting people’s spiritual and physical needs and they are coming to know God through us -- that is what it means to bear fruit for the Kingdom

            -- secondly, we are growing in the knowledge of God
            -- the more we talk to God through His Word -- the more we pray to God -- the closer we grow to Him and the more we become able to hear His voice -- kind of like a couple that is just starting to date           
            -- when you start a relationship, you don’t really know the other person -- you don’t know about them and you don’t know them -- but, over time, as you spend time with them and you talk to them, you begin to know them     
            -- you know what they like and they don’t like -- you know what they want to do -- you know what they don’t want to do -- and you even know what they’re saying when they say nothing at all       -- it’s the same way with prayer
            -- the more time you spend with God, the more you know God and the more you start to become like God

            -- third, we are strengthened with God’s power -- we learn to trust in God and His power rather than in our own strength -- we can do nothing of lasting significance in our own power     -- but when we rely on God, we can do things that we couldn’t even think of doing in our own strength
            -- through prayer and through God’s strength, we can move mountains -- we can part seas            -- we can even change the hearts of African dictators and see entire countries like Uganda change for the better
            -- as it says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”   -- and, as Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With God, all things are possible”

            -- finally, we will reflect God’s own character in our lives -- we will demonstrate endurance and patience and joy -- we will live lives not focused on this earth or on today -- but lives that are focused on tomorrow -- on eternity -- on the things that have eternal significance
            -- we will become people aware of God’s presence in our lives -- not just on Sundays but every day -- and we will become people of thankfulness -- of gratefulness          -- who continually recognize God’s blessings and thank Him for all that He is and all that He has given

            -- prayer not only changes the world -- it changes us and makes us more like Christ

III. Closing
            -- so, as we close, let me just remind you that Christianity is not about “going to church”  -- it’s not even about reading your Bible or just praying for things because that’s what Christians are supposed to do
            -- Christianity is about relationship -- it’s about a relationship with God -- it’s about coming to know God in a real and personal way, just like you would come to know a spouse over time
            -- and we do this through communication -- through talking to God and listening as He responds
            -- through prayer, we offer up our praise and thanks to God for who He is and for what He has done -- through prayer, we let God know of the needs in our lives and in the lives of those around us -- and through prayer, God speaks to our heart -- He changes us from the inside out -- He makes us more like Him and fills us with His presence
            -- through prayer, we know more about God and we know God -- we know what He likes and what He doesn’t -- we know what He wants done and we know what He doesn’t want us to do
            -- and, through prayer, we come to know God in a way that most people never will

            -- so, as I close, I want to encourage you to take some time today to just sit in the presence of God in prayer -- go to Him today -- talk to Him today -- don’t even ask for anything          -- just praise Him for who He is and listen for His voice to respond
            -- my prayer for all of us today is that we would come to know God and experience Him more in our lives through a vibrant and real prayer life
            -- pray to God -- He’s waiting to hear from you -- and He has something to tell you
            -- let’s pray

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