The Power of Prayer

July 28, 2013 Colossians 2:6-19 Luke 11:1-13 The Power of Prayer 10th Sunday after Pentecost Year C ROOTED FOR LIFE There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home, one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket onto the ground. It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the two seeds lay was rather fertile, and miraculously they took root. After about a week the squash seed showed signs of growth. The second seed showed none. After two weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none. After seven weeks the squash began to show fruit. The second seed still showed no progress. Four more weeks came and gone. The squash plant reached the end of its life bearing much fruit in that time, but the other seed finally began to slowly grow. Many years later the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree. Many people want their faith to be like the squash. They want to experience it all right now...rather than be rooted for life. (From a sermon by Ajai Prakash, Rooted in Jesus, 4/29/2011) That story reminds me of psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:3 In order for us to be firmly rooted in life, our faith has to be planted in Jesus Christ. We have to know that it is Christ who frees us from our sin, and who loves us, who guides us, and who teaches us how to prosper. Let our faith grow along with our lives When we are rooted in God, we stay connected to God. But we also are willing to grow in our knowledge and understanding of who God is. Our spiritual life only goes as far as we are able to grow. Many people leave the church, because they learn about God, but they don’t do anything to grow in faith. When trials and tribulations come upon them, they are still praying to the God they learned about in high school. When things don’t turn out the way they think they should, there is something wrong with God, when really, their faith has not grown to fit the situations of their life. It is so important to be rooted in God, and to continue to let the roots of our lives reach for the nurturing of God. This morning, our scriptures give us two important lessons on staying rooted in the ways of God. Colossians main lesson is to make sure that Christ is the center of our lives. Luke – talks about the importance of prayer. When we pray – we learn to depend on God for everything in our lives. VACANT HOMES, VACANT LIVES TIFTON, GA — The most interesting thing about Tifton is an abandoned Victorian house filled with thousands of bats. Tift County declared the once-elegant house in the town’s historic district off limits after a bat specialist said that maybe 20,000 bats had moved in, apparently for good. Now, teenagers call it the bat house. People talk about the smell, which is an unholy mix of animal urine and decaying wood. "In the summer, ooh, does that place reek," said Linda Turner, 69, a retired nurse and neighbor. "You ain’t smelled nothing until you come back here on a hot day." Brothers and Sisters, I’m not going to visit that bat house. WHAT A SIGHT AND WHAT A STINK IT MUST BE! Vacant houses get infiltrated with all kinds of creatures and probably not just bats. And many of these creatures make a mess, create a big stink, and eventually ruin that dwelling. But it doesn’t just happen with vacant houses, it also happens with vacant lives! If a person doesn’t fill their life with good stuff, the bad stuff and sometimes, the evil stuff will move in and take over. What’s going on in your house? That is, the house you live in, the fleshly body you live in? Who has moved in? Who has taken over your residence and controlling your life? God wants us to stay clean in this world and that will only happen when we let Him move in, that is, when we fill our lives with worship, prayer and service. Thy word have I hide in my heart that I might not sin against thee! Ps. 119:11. The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible! (From a sermon by Steve Shepherd, Our Walk in This World, 4/4/2011) In her book A Practical Guide to Prayer, Dorothy Haskins tells about a noted concert violinist who was asked the secret of her mastery of the instrument. The woman answered the question with two words: "Planned neglect." Then she explained. "There were many things that used to demand my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted, and did whatever seemed necessary. When I finished my work, I turned to my violin practice. That system prevented me from accomplishing what I should on the violin. So I reversed things. I deliberately planned to neglect everything else until my practice period was complete. And that program of planned neglect is the secret of my success." Colossians says don’t let anything or anyone disqualify you from growing in Christ. There are a lot of things going on in life. when Christ is in perspective however, the other things fall into place. In the last few years, used this week to talk about the meaning of the Lord’s prayer. Very important – teaches us what it means to put Christ first. What are we praying for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer "In a world too full of injustice, hunger, malice and evil, (this) prayer cries out for justice, bread, forgiveness, and deliverance." N. T. (Tom) Wright It is a prayer for material blessings of food to eat daily, but it is more so a prayer for spiritual blessings. The request not only for the ability to forgive, but for forgiveness in our lives. The strength to overcome temptation. These spiritual request are all things that support us in feeding our roots and growing in Christ. This prayer teaches us to pray in boldness and confidence for the things that we need. The life of a Christian, is a life of prayer. Luke speaks of prayer as a good gift from God. God provides for us our of God’s nature – which is always kind, merciful and generous. We think of this as the Lord’s prayer – but some have called it the disciple’s prayer. The prayer that we need in order to become disciples of Christ. For three years, the disciples learned by hearing Jesus preach and teach “as one who has authority.” They heard the sermon on the mount preached by the Son of God. They heard him condemn self-righteous Pharisees and encourage a woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more.” The disciples heard Jesus command the wind and waves (and witnessed their obedience). They heard him forgive sins. I suspect that they somehow knew the sins were forgiven. For three years, the disciples learned by watching Jesus do the impossible. They saw him heal the deaf, the blind, the lame, and the sick. They saw him feed 5,000 men plus women and children with a boy’s lunch. They saw him cast out demons. They saw him raise the dead. Incredibly, they did not ask Jesus to “teach us to teach and preach with authority.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to feed a multitude with a little.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to overcome disease, demons, and death.” Jesus was God incarnate. His divine power was beyond human comprehension. But the disciples noticed something he did that they could learn. Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord teach us... to pray.” Jesus is the center of our lives as Christians, to be a christian, prayer must be the center of you life. Pray in boldness and confidence, for the right things in the right way, Christ will always answer. Active Prayer God is not passive, and neither are we. In fact, Jesus calls us to an active life. We tend to think of prayer as a passive affair, which in many ways it is. After all, prayer is listening before it is speaking. However, it is active listening. You know the difference between passive and active listening? Passive listening is the husband who has one ear to the television when his wife speaks. Passive listening is the wife who has her "to do" list between her and her spouse. Passive listening is the young person who hears everything through ears that are "bored" with anything and everything that isn’t more exciting than what is possible. Active listening, on the other hand, is giving 100% attention, and facing toward the One who speaks, putting aside remote-controls, "to do" lists, and boredom. Active listening is anything but passive. It’s really hard work, when you think about it. It’s not "zoning out." Far from it. Prayer is, in part, active listening. How do you receive daily bread from God, if you’re not faced in his direction, attentively reaching out? How does forgiveness become a reality if we don’t step into it - and how are we to step into it if we’re not walking in the direction of, toward the One from whom forgiveness flows? The Lord’s prayer, whether it be the version Matthew remembers, or the one Luke recalls, encourages active movement toward God on our part. As a rule, if I have used an story once in a church, I try not to repeat it again. At least not intentionally. Today I am going to break that rule. As I was looking at my old sermons, I have gone through the lectionary twice since being a solo pastor. And I used this story here in this church in 2010. But I think that it is an important lesson in active prayer as we look forward to a new worship service and a new way of being present in the community. Actively pray for people A church was having a friends and family day, and each person was asked to invite a guest. But before they were to invite them they were to pray for them for one week. One lady wanted to invite her neighbor Kate. She and Kate had sons that were on the basketball team together. She prayed for Kate, but it seemed the the opportunity to talk about church never came up. So she was convinced the prayer didn’t work and that Kate would never come to church. On the Friday before the friends and family she got a call from another parent, who told her that she and her son wanted to come to church with her. And o by the way, Kate was coming too. God works in mysterious ways. God hears our prayers. Let us make sure that this new beginning is firmly rooted in prayer. There may be a lot of things that need to be done as we move toward that day – but the most important thing always is to pray. The bring everything to God in prayer. If Christ is truly in the center of our lives, we can pray in boldness and confidence and know that God know better than we do. But he wants us to be rooted, and watered in prayer. He wants us to have an active prayer life, and to be willing to be challenged so that we can grow in our relationship. Lord, teach us to be faithful, to be knowledgable, to be grateful, but most of all Lord teach us to pray – in boldness, confidence and in faith. BURIED IN THE DEEPEST SEA Several years ago Rick Stacy baptized a man in Lake Superior. It was late October and about 9:00 PM. Rick had been talking with Myron and his wife about accepting the Lord as their personal savior and sealing that decision with baptism into Jesus. Myron was hesitant for a long time and then finally said, “Yes, I want to accept Jesus – and I want to be baptized tonight – right now in Lake Superior. In case you don’t know Lake Superior is cold. The average temperature (year round) is about 38 degrees. This was late October and the gales of November (remember the Edmund Fitzgerald) had come early. The waves were running 3 feet high. The water was very cold. They were going to walk out waist deep into the water, but only made it about knee deep. Rick laid Myron down and the waves washed over him as he was baptized in the name of Jesus. When they went back to Myron’s home for some hot cocoa and a hot soak for their cold feet, Rick asked him why it was so important that he do this that night in Lake Superior. His answer: “I was in the army, an officer in the infantry during Viet Nam. I saw and did things that no man should see or do. I wanted my sins buried in the deepest and coldest place…” Peter L. Haynes, Asking...Seeking...Knocking Keeping God Alive in Our Hearts Jesus prayed: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. In the novel "The Great Hunger," a newcomer comes to a farm community. He refuses all friendship with his neighbors and puts out the no trespassing sign. One day a little child from the town climbs underneath his fence to pet his dog. The vicious animal leaps on her and kills her. Hostility spreads throughout the community. When the newcomer comes to town no one will speak to him. Clerks refuse to wait on him. Spring comes and the merchants refuse to sell him seed. Finally, the father of the girl who was killed comes over and sows his field. This act of kindness is too much for the insufferable newcomer. “Why—you of all people?” he asks. The father responds: To keep God alive in my heart. The experience of forgiveness is basic to our spiritual health. It is the way that we keep God alive in our hearts. But there is more. The petition says: Forgive us as we forgive others. In other words, we are asking God to forgive in proportion to our forgiving. We become our own judge and jury. How do we forgive the unforgivable? By remembering that God forgives us for our sins against him. Staff, www.Sermons.com. For three years, the disciples learned by hearing Jesus preach and teach “as one who has authority.” They heard the sermon on the mount preached by the Son of God. They heard him condemn self-righteous Pharisees and encourage a woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more.” The disciples heard Jesus command the wind and waves (and witnessed their obedience). They heard him forgive sins. I suspect that they somehow knew the sins were forgiven. For three years, the disciples learned by watching Jesus do the impossible. They saw him heal the deaf, the blind, the lame, and the sick. They saw him feed 5,000 men plus women and children with a boy’s lunch. They saw him cast out demons. They saw him raise the dead. Incredibly, they did not ask Jesus to “teach us to teach and preach with authority.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to feed a multitude with a little.” They did not ask Jesus to “teach us to overcome disease, demons, and death.” Jesus was God incarnate. His divine power was beyond human comprehension. But the disciples noticed something he did that they could learn. Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord teach us... to pray.”