WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:03.430 It's great to be with you today. If you've got 00:00:03.430 --> 00:00:06.429 your Bible there, please keep it open at Matthew 00:00:06.429 --> 00:00:11.429 6. And let's ask God for help as we look at his 00:00:11.429 --> 00:00:18.289 word now. Father, we ask that your word would 00:00:18.289 --> 00:00:21.949 grip us today, that it would change our hearts, 00:00:22.070 --> 00:00:27.109 that we would see how wonderful and awesome it 00:00:27.109 --> 00:00:30.960 is to know you as Father. And we ask this in 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:36.619 Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I was watching a show 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:40.859 a little while ago called Hijack. And you can 00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:46.640 guess, let's see if this works. No? Okay. That's 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.920 all right. You can guess what it's about. It's 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:54.579 about hijacking. And this plane gets hijacked 00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:57.859 by a group of terrorists. I must admit, I couldn't 00:00:57.859 --> 00:00:59.380 really get into the show. I don't know if it's 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:02.600 any good. I lasted half an episode. But I was 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.599 taken in by one scene. During the hijacking, 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:10.239 one of the frightened stewards on the plane starts 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:15.280 praying. And nearby there's a priest, a very 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.959 British priest with his liturgical collar on. 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:20.980 And the priest turns to the steward and says, 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:24.260 take it from me, that's not going to get you 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:28.079 anywhere. And you think what a thing for him 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:31.040 to say. Whether or not he believes it, it's a 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:32.879 bit heartless, isn't it? Probably not a very 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:38.540 good priest. But it's worth asking, does this 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:43.359 priest have a point? What difference would it 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:48.500 make to pray in that situation? If the steward 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:53.019 prays, will God strike down the terrorists? Or 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:56.200 having prayed, will God now somehow save the 00:01:56.200 --> 00:02:00.819 passengers? Or really, is the prayer meant to 00:02:00.819 --> 00:02:03.280 be some sort of psychological crutch just to 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:08.800 calm him down? Does prayer actually change anything? 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:15.400 And if not, why bother? Now, hijacking is an 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:18.659 extreme example, but what about prayer in day 00:02:18.659 --> 00:02:21.759 -to -day life? The person who sits down and prays 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:24.560 each day, who prays the Lord's Prayer, who prays 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:26.400 about their struggles, their problems, the things 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.639 they want, are they just wasting their time? 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:35.479 What difference does it make to pray? Well, it 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.680 all boils down to who is actually there, isn't 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:44.259 it? If there is no God, then it's pointless. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:48.150 I'd have to say, yeah, prayer is... At best, 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:50.270 a coping tool. If there's no God, that's all 00:02:50.270 --> 00:02:54.150 it is. It's a psychological trick. If God is 00:02:54.150 --> 00:02:58.949 impotent, if he wants to help but he can't, well, 00:02:59.009 --> 00:03:01.009 that's not much better than a psychological trick, 00:03:01.110 --> 00:03:04.409 isn't it? It's a bit of a shame and glad that 00:03:04.409 --> 00:03:06.509 someone out there is wanting to help me, but 00:03:06.509 --> 00:03:11.150 it's not much good for me. And if God's heartless, 00:03:11.349 --> 00:03:15.610 if he's got the power but he won't use it, Well, 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:18.849 I guess maybe prayer might be helpful if you 00:03:18.849 --> 00:03:23.250 catch God on a good day. So today I want to ask, 00:03:23.330 --> 00:03:27.550 well, which of these is God actually like? I 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:31.349 don't want to say none of them. See, Jesus starts 00:03:31.349 --> 00:03:35.449 the Lord's Prayer with an address, Our Father 00:03:35.449 --> 00:03:40.610 in Heaven. And it's to remind us who we're praying 00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:44.590 to. Have you ever wondered why Jesus starts that 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:50.870 way? Why not, dear God, or almighty Yahweh, or 00:03:50.870 --> 00:03:55.490 just look up and say your shopping list? It's 00:03:55.490 --> 00:03:58.270 not that God needs us to pray that way. It's 00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:00.310 not that God's there going, well, if you don't 00:04:00.310 --> 00:04:02.530 pray to me, our Father in heaven, I won't be 00:04:02.530 --> 00:04:07.150 listening until I hear those key words. No, this 00:04:07.150 --> 00:04:10.150 first line, this address to God, is there for 00:04:10.150 --> 00:04:14.199 our benefit. It reminds us of who we're praying 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:18.759 to. These four words actually do a lot of heavy 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:23.519 lifting for our hearts. They sort out so many 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:25.620 wrong ways of thinking we have about ourselves 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:31.680 and about God. This line reminds us that prayer 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:35.639 does make a difference because of who is there 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:39.100 when we're praying. So here's the big thing Jesus 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:42.420 is telling us. We bother with prayer because 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:46.600 our Father in heaven is there. We bother in prayer 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:50.540 because our Father in heaven is there. And then 00:04:50.540 --> 00:04:54.360 there's three things that we see that shape how 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:56.579 we pray, that we're meant to think of when we 00:04:56.579 --> 00:04:59.379 actually pray our Father in heaven. Firstly, 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:03.100 our Father has adopted us. Secondly, our Father 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:10.490 loves us dearly. So let's have a look at those 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:14.129 three things. Firstly, our Father has adopted 00:05:14.129 --> 00:05:20.970 us. You've got to ask, why our? Why don't we 00:05:20.970 --> 00:05:23.529 start the Lord's Prayer with my Father in heaven? 00:05:24.610 --> 00:05:28.290 Well, there's two reasons for that. First, when 00:05:28.290 --> 00:05:32.029 we pray our, it snaps us out of our self -centred 00:05:32.029 --> 00:05:36.089 self -absorption. God is at work, not just in 00:05:36.089 --> 00:05:40.670 my life. but in the lives of his people all over 00:05:40.670 --> 00:05:45.110 the world. See, the default position for humanity 00:05:45.110 --> 00:05:48.550 is to make it all about me, to make myself at 00:05:48.550 --> 00:05:51.970 the centre of the universe. Think back to when 00:05:51.970 --> 00:05:54.709 you looked at an old class photo. Do you have 00:05:54.709 --> 00:05:56.389 one of those sitting at home, one of your school 00:05:56.389 --> 00:05:59.689 photos? Who do you instantly look for when you 00:05:59.689 --> 00:06:04.850 look at the photo? Yourself, that's right. Because 00:06:04.850 --> 00:06:08.189 we just have this instinct that's... within us 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:11.689 to be kind of on about number one, on about me. 00:06:12.649 --> 00:06:14.529 I mean, I've got five kids. Do you know what 00:06:14.529 --> 00:06:17.610 I've never had to do with any one of them? Never 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:21.290 had to teach them to be selfish. They've already 00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:23.870 got that one down pat, you know? Oh, come on 00:06:23.870 --> 00:06:26.430 now, Gracie. I need you to just hang on to that. 00:06:26.610 --> 00:06:29.449 Don't share it. Come on. Never been a problem. 00:06:31.790 --> 00:06:34.949 But God is different. God is the other person 00:06:34.949 --> 00:06:38.389 centred God. He's Trinity. And because he's so 00:06:38.389 --> 00:06:41.790 loving and in this beautiful, harmonious, loving 00:06:41.790 --> 00:06:45.670 relationship within himself, he then loves humanity 00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:49.269 from that love. So much so that he sent his son 00:06:49.269 --> 00:06:53.110 to die on the cross. This is a God who is all 00:06:53.110 --> 00:06:57.810 about other person centred love. So when I pray 00:06:57.810 --> 00:07:03.319 our, I'm remembering. I've been adopted into 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:08.959 that family, that big family all over the world, 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:13.300 that family where God's people take on the family 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:16.879 likeness, where they try and imitate the Trinitarian 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:20.860 God by being other person centred in how they 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:26.379 love. See, in God's family we're different because 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:31.209 our Father is different. We want to help you 00:07:31.209 --> 00:07:33.410 with that here at Northern Hope. We're hoping 00:07:33.410 --> 00:07:35.709 at some point in the future we're doing a few 00:07:35.709 --> 00:07:37.790 little things behind the scenes, but we want 00:07:37.790 --> 00:07:41.009 to set up a weekly email that everyone at church 00:07:41.009 --> 00:07:45.149 gets with a prayer guide about different people 00:07:45.149 --> 00:07:47.769 and places to pray for, not just in our church 00:07:47.769 --> 00:07:51.350 but also in other countries. We're hoping to 00:07:51.350 --> 00:07:53.069 get that up and running at some point in the 00:07:53.069 --> 00:07:56.629 near future. But also, if you don't want to do 00:07:56.629 --> 00:07:58.170 it our way, there's so many other great options, 00:07:58.250 --> 00:08:00.930 aren't there? You can look at Open Doors. They've 00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:02.930 got a great website all about the persecuted 00:08:02.930 --> 00:08:04.870 church and what you can pray for the persecuted 00:08:04.870 --> 00:08:08.709 church. There's great prayer diaries and prayer 00:08:08.709 --> 00:08:14.189 guides for MAF and BCA, Barnabas Fund, Prayer 00:08:14.189 --> 00:08:16.370 Points in Growth Group. I mean, that's all kind 00:08:16.370 --> 00:08:19.930 of praying in line with our, isn't it? Because 00:08:19.930 --> 00:08:23.810 we're being other person centred. But there's 00:08:23.810 --> 00:08:27.670 a second reason Jesus says pray our Father in 00:08:27.670 --> 00:08:32.590 Heaven. It's reminding us that only God's children 00:08:32.590 --> 00:08:38.389 can pray our Father. See, a Muslim can't pray 00:08:38.389 --> 00:08:42.549 our Father in heaven. A secular agnostic can't 00:08:42.549 --> 00:08:44.690 pray our Father in heaven. Technically, that 00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:47.269 steward on the plane can't pray our Father in 00:08:47.269 --> 00:08:51.149 heaven. Because the only people who can truly 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:54.730 pray this are those who actually have been adopted 00:08:54.730 --> 00:08:58.049 by God. They're the only ones who are part of 00:08:58.049 --> 00:09:01.460 the hour. It's not every single human being. 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:05.919 I mean, we're all creatures made in God's image. 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:10.720 That's a great gift that God has given us. But 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:14.059 we're not all his children. Have a look at what 00:09:14.059 --> 00:09:25.879 Ephesians 2, 3 says. It says, We weren't children 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:29.990 of God. We were children of God's anger. Because 00:09:29.990 --> 00:09:33.009 we're part of that fallen humanity who's rejected 00:09:33.009 --> 00:09:38.450 God's rule over their lives. But here's the wonderful 00:09:38.450 --> 00:09:41.590 blessing that Christians have. Have a look at 00:09:41.590 --> 00:09:45.889 John 1 .12 .13. But to all who did receive him, 00:09:45.990 --> 00:09:48.789 and that's Jesus, who believed in his name, he 00:09:48.789 --> 00:09:51.669 gave the right to become children of God, who 00:09:51.669 --> 00:09:53.870 were born not of blood, you know, you didn't 00:09:53.870 --> 00:09:56.629 have the right DNA, nor of the will, that wasn't 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:59.269 your decision. of the flesh nor of the will of 00:09:59.269 --> 00:10:04.269 man but of God see Jesus came into the world 00:10:04.269 --> 00:10:07.529 and died on the cross not just to save you from 00:10:07.529 --> 00:10:11.990 sin and hell as important as that is but he died 00:10:11.990 --> 00:10:16.470 so that you could become a child of God so that 00:10:16.470 --> 00:10:19.850 you could enter the hour in our father in heaven 00:10:19.850 --> 00:10:26.480 to be a part of God's family See, Jesus is the 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:28.960 only one in the universe in and of himself who 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:33.600 can say, my father in heaven, because he's God's 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:39.139 begotten son. But we can say, our father in heaven, 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.779 because Jesus died for us. And the relationship 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:47.320 Jesus has with God is now what we have with God. 00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:54.019 What an amazing blessing. Over the years, I've 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.240 met some wonderful families who've fostered or 00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:59.840 adopted kids whilst having biological kids of 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:02.820 their own. And all of them seem to have the same 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:07.120 approach. They treat all their kids as they're 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:10.840 all our kids. They're equal. Whether they're 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:12.919 biological or adopted, we love them equally. 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:18.019 I think that's the right way to do it. But I 00:11:18.019 --> 00:11:21.539 have one mate who sadly seems to be the exception. 00:11:22.939 --> 00:11:26.419 He's adopted, his parents are overseas, and he 00:11:26.419 --> 00:11:29.440 goes back and he visits them. And they're kind 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:31.539 to him, but he's always treated a little bit 00:11:31.539 --> 00:11:35.360 differently to the biological kids. He gets left 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.000 out. I remember him telling me that they took 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.519 a photo of the family and they said, everyone 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.080 in, everyone in, but not you. You're one of the 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:49.220 adopted ones and you take the photo. And it was 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:51.159 so hard for him because he felt like a second 00:11:51.159 --> 00:11:57.320 class. family member. Well, Christians, when 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:03.580 you pray, do you ever feel like that? What if 00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:06.139 you've been slack and you've not been, you know, 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:08.899 living very well lately? You've kind of been 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:11.379 ignoring God, putting him on the back burner. 00:12:12.860 --> 00:12:15.220 Do you ever start having doubts? Maybe I'm just 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:17.840 like a second -class Christian, a second -class 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:24.129 family member. If you do, Remember John 17, 23. 00:12:25.029 --> 00:12:29.549 Here's what it says. Then the world will know 00:12:29.549 --> 00:12:33.710 that you sent me, that's Jesus, and have loved 00:12:33.710 --> 00:12:37.889 them, those who believe in Jesus, even as you 00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:43.610 have loved me. God sees you now as if you were 00:12:43.610 --> 00:12:48.149 Jesus, on your good weeks, on your bad weeks. 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:52.120 He relates to you that way, not because of your 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.419 performance, but because of what Jesus has done 00:12:55.419 --> 00:13:00.320 for you. All the time, right now, if you trust 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:03.519 Jesus, you've been adopted by God. You can say 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:07.059 our to remember you're part of a bigger family 00:13:07.059 --> 00:13:10.440 and that you have the same relationship with 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:15.700 God that Jesus does. What an amazing blessing. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:22.299 And that all comes from one word. So let's dig 00:13:22.299 --> 00:13:24.259 in a bit further. What is that new relationship 00:13:24.259 --> 00:13:30.000 all about? If we get to call God our, you know, 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:32.480 just as Jesus, you know, we're having that same 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:35.399 relationship, what's it actually mean to have 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:37.379 that relationship? Well, the next bit is that 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:42.100 we call him our father. We have a father in heaven 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:45.600 who loves us dearly. Our father loves us dearly. 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:49.480 And sometimes we don't realise just how important 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:53.399 and wonderful this is. This is what sets apart 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:57.120 Christianity from other religions. See, God is 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:01.500 not just our king or our judge. Jesus is inviting 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:07.580 us to call God Father, to have a unique, close 00:14:07.580 --> 00:14:12.940 intimacy with the creator of the universe. In 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:16.500 his brilliant book, Knowing God, J .I. Packer, 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:21.299 says this, if you want to judge how well a person 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:24.779 understands Christianity, find out how much he 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:28.460 makes of the thought of being God's child and 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:33.139 having God as his father. If this is not the 00:14:33.139 --> 00:14:35.379 thought that prompts and controls his worship 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:38.799 and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:40.980 means that he does not understand Christianity 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:46.059 very well at all. He then goes on to talk about 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:49.019 how adoption is the highest privilege of the 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:52.179 Christian. The best thing you can get is that 00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:54.740 you are adopted into God's family. I mean, it's 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:56.779 pretty awesome that you get to be righteous in 00:14:56.779 --> 00:15:00.039 God's sight, justified by Jesus. But he says 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.220 it's even better that you can call God Father, 00:15:03.340 --> 00:15:07.620 be in his family. That is amazing. The same relationship 00:15:07.620 --> 00:15:10.500 Jesus has with God is what you have. God is your 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:14.299 Father who loves you and cares about you. You 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:21.200 are more loved than you can ever fathom. As a 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:25.419 kid, I watched The Magic School Bus. It's a great 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:29.559 show. It was just really fun. I really enjoyed 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:33.220 it. If you haven't watched it, sad for you, go 00:15:33.220 --> 00:15:36.710 home and watch it. But on the Magic School Bus, 00:15:36.929 --> 00:15:40.570 Miss Frizz, she'd take the kids anywhere. She'd 00:15:40.570 --> 00:15:43.990 take them out into the ocean and they'd go into 00:15:43.990 --> 00:15:45.669 sort of the bus would become like a submarine. 00:15:45.850 --> 00:15:48.769 They could go out of space and the bus would 00:15:48.769 --> 00:15:50.870 become like a rocket. They'd even go into the 00:15:50.870 --> 00:15:53.830 human body and swim around in that and see what's 00:15:53.830 --> 00:15:57.309 going on in there. Well, I want you to just imagine 00:15:57.309 --> 00:15:59.470 for a sec that you jump on the Magic School Bus. 00:16:00.049 --> 00:16:04.370 We could call it the Northern Hope Bus. And what 00:16:04.370 --> 00:16:09.350 if you got to go into God's heart? Like if you 00:16:09.350 --> 00:16:13.649 could go see God's heart, what do you think you 00:16:13.649 --> 00:16:19.750 would see? I reckon you'd see a heart of unimaginable, 00:16:19.750 --> 00:16:26.690 immeasurable love that loves us just as much 00:16:26.690 --> 00:16:32.230 as his son. A love that only wants good for his 00:16:32.230 --> 00:16:36.820 children. If we could see it, I reckon we'd be 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:39.899 overwhelmed and brought to tears because of how 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:46.980 gloriously loving it is. And yet how easily we 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:53.659 forget that God's heart is like this. Here's 00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:55.639 a good exercise if you want to see God's heart. 00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:59.539 Read through the Gospels. Look at the affection 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:04.539 that the Father has for Jesus. He says, you're 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:09.440 my beloved son, with you I am well pleased. Now 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:11.180 when you read that, yes, that's teaching you 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:13.160 something about Jesus, but if you're in Christ, 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:15.259 that's teaching you something about you too. 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:21.200 That's how the Father sees you now. The same 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:25.099 spirit that empowered Jesus is in us. The New 00:17:25.099 --> 00:17:28.380 Testament letters tell us that what the Son inherits 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:33.279 is what we inherit. The love Jesus has from his 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:36.859 father is yours. And if you're still not convinced, 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:40.380 look at the cross. See what it cost the father 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:44.160 to send his son, for the son to experience the 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:45.740 wrath that should have been ours as children 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:48.740 of wrath, that he drunk it down to the dregs 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:51.720 so that we could call God father and know him 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:57.259 as father. That shows the father's loving, immeasurable 00:17:57.259 --> 00:18:05.579 loving heart for you. But here's the thing. Sometimes 00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:10.200 when we pray, we forget that. It's easy to think, 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:12.940 and I don't know if you've ever thought this, 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:16.359 I've thought this, God can, but he probably won't. 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:19.720 You ever thought that when you're praying? God 00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:22.660 can, but he probably won't. You feel like he's 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:25.319 powerful, but you've been praying for ages about 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:29.539 something and nothing seems to happen. It can 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:32.119 just feel like God's heartless because your prayers 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:35.240 just keep going unanswered. And you go, I know 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:38.539 he's not, but gee, it feels like a God. You feel 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:40.059 like you're just kicking me in the guts again 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:42.180 and again because this thing isn't getting resolved. 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.440 I think we've all gone through times like that. 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:52.039 And if you haven't, well, that's great. I wouldn't 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:54.400 be surprised if you experienced some at some 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:59.119 point. But here's what I try to do in those times. 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:03.119 I try to remember some words I read by Charles 00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:20.819 Spurgeon. He once said, I just think that's so 00:19:20.819 --> 00:19:25.690 powerful. Let me read it again. And he's too 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:29.450 wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace 00:19:29.450 --> 00:19:36.009 his hand, we must trace his heart. Have you seen 00:19:36.009 --> 00:19:41.450 God's heart? Have you seen that you have a loving, 00:19:41.589 --> 00:19:47.190 kind, generous father in heaven? That needs to 00:19:47.190 --> 00:19:51.650 shape our thinking. It needs to shape how we 00:19:51.650 --> 00:19:53.990 do everything. It needs to shape especially. 00:19:54.839 --> 00:20:00.579 How we pray. But before we pray, we don't want 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:03.240 to just remember that we have a new relationship 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:06.460 with God through Jesus and that we're part of 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:08.619 God's family. We don't want to just remember 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:11.980 that God is a good and caring Father. We also 00:20:11.980 --> 00:20:16.339 need to remember God's immense power. Here's 00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:19.240 the third thing we need to see. Our Father rules 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:25.400 everything. Our Father rules everything. What 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:28.339 are we praying when we pray our Father in heaven? 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.579 Why in heaven? Is that God's postcode? Is that 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:36.599 God's address? No, it's describing his power. 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:40.500 Here's how Psalm 115 puts it, which we read earlier. 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:44.059 Our God is in the heavens, and because he is, 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:48.869 he does all that he pleases. God is all -powerful. 00:20:49.109 --> 00:20:52.109 The God who is a father to every Christian here 00:20:52.109 --> 00:20:56.849 has infinite and unlimited power. Do you know 00:20:56.849 --> 00:21:00.470 what this means for you? You don't just have 00:21:00.470 --> 00:21:02.829 friends in high places. I mean, you might know 00:21:02.829 --> 00:21:06.210 a few powerful people here in Cairns. You don't 00:21:06.210 --> 00:21:08.549 just have friends in high places. You have a 00:21:08.549 --> 00:21:14.190 father in the highest place. One of my struggles 00:21:14.190 --> 00:21:19.269 as a dad of five... is lack of resources. I'm 00:21:19.269 --> 00:21:22.890 only human. I've got limited energy. I get tired 00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:25.950 from work and housework. The kids want to play 00:21:25.950 --> 00:21:28.250 with me, and sometimes I'm just like, kids, I 00:21:28.250 --> 00:21:32.049 don't have the energy right now. And I've got 00:21:32.049 --> 00:21:35.349 limited money. You know, I'm doing okay, but, 00:21:35.390 --> 00:21:38.029 like, I can't give everything I'd like to the 00:21:38.029 --> 00:21:40.730 kids because, you know, I mean, probably spoil 00:21:40.730 --> 00:21:43.339 them anyway, so it's probably a good thing. But 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:44.779 you've got to make choices with your money. All 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:50.059 fathers do, don't they? And limited time. I can't 00:21:50.059 --> 00:21:52.519 be everywhere at once, especially when there's 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:55.039 five of them. They outnumber you. I remember 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.299 seeing the transition from two kids to three, 00:21:57.420 --> 00:22:00.519 and you go, wow, now they outnumber us. What 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:03.220 are we going to do? If you're a parent, just 00:22:03.220 --> 00:22:05.519 be aware that's the big moment when you go from 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:09.539 two to three. And that's okay. That's just being 00:22:09.539 --> 00:22:13.730 human. It's like... Clint Eastwood said, a man's 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:18.609 got to know his limitations. But God is not like 00:22:18.609 --> 00:22:22.170 that. Over the years as we've driven to church 00:22:22.170 --> 00:22:25.609 or other places in the car, we've sung this song. 00:22:25.710 --> 00:22:27.490 You might have sung it too with your kids or 00:22:27.490 --> 00:22:30.069 you might have sung it just belting it out the 00:22:30.069 --> 00:22:32.329 window. All power to you if you do. It's a great 00:22:32.329 --> 00:22:37.349 song. Do you remember it? My God is so big, so 00:22:37.349 --> 00:22:40.430 strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God 00:22:40.430 --> 00:22:45.180 cannot do. So much great theology in kids' songs, 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:52.359 isn't it? That we easily forget. God can do anything. 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:57.140 Jesus prays in the garden, all things are possible 00:22:57.140 --> 00:23:02.700 for you. On that plane, God could stop the hijackers. 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:09.359 You betcha. He's all powerful. All things are 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.579 possible for him. The whole universe is at his 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:18.480 disposal. And knowing that, knowing that should 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:23.119 make us pray boldly. I mean, God can raise his 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:26.440 own son from the grave and make him Lord of all. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:29.019 I mean, we can ask God for anything, knowing 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:34.980 that he is able to do it. So that means as a 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:40.180 church, we need to pray big prayers. Because 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:44.960 we have a big God. There's no ceiling to what 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:51.579 God can do. But here's the thing. Do you really 00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:57.240 believe that? It's so easy to sort of pray prayers 00:23:57.240 --> 00:24:01.059 that are a little bit small, you know. Yeah, 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:04.880 God, I don't want to ask for too much. It's almost 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:09.079 that mentality. That's forgetting what God is 00:24:09.079 --> 00:24:14.819 like. We can pray lots, we can pray big, and 00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:19.380 then we watch. And if it doesn't happen, we trust 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:22.740 that our Father knows best. But at the same time, 00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:26.640 we need to be praying big and bold prayers because 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:33.640 we have a big and powerful God. So what do you 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:37.369 believe? Look at your prayers. You will see what 00:24:37.369 --> 00:24:42.670 you think about God. Do you believe he is as 00:24:42.670 --> 00:24:49.349 powerful as the Bible is saying he is? All right, 00:24:49.349 --> 00:24:52.450 well, let's draw some threads together. We asked, 00:24:52.509 --> 00:24:56.150 does prayer actually change anything? And I hope 00:24:56.150 --> 00:24:58.910 you saw today that, yes, it does. It changes 00:24:58.910 --> 00:25:02.940 what happens. It changes us. Because as we pray, 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.220 we're learning to be other person centred. It 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:09.799 does a whole range of things. But prayer is not 00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:12.579 powerful because it's inherently powerful. Prayer 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:17.640 is powerful because of who we pray to. Here's 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:20.160 the big thing we saw today. We bother with prayer 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:24.660 because our Father in heaven is there. That's 00:25:24.660 --> 00:25:27.140 what makes prayer powerful. We bother with prayer 00:25:27.140 --> 00:25:30.640 because our Father in heaven is there. And there 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:32.660 were three things we looked at with that address. 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:36.160 Our Father has adopted us. That's the our. Our 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:38.839 Father loves us dearly. That's the Father. And 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:41.920 our Father rules everything. That's the in heaven. 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:48.180 So what's that mean for us? Well, there'll be 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:50.359 some people here today who are not yet children 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:55.339 of God. It wasn't my intention to offend you 00:25:55.339 --> 00:25:58.599 or anything in things I've said earlier. All 00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:00.819 I want to do is ask you today, what do you believe 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:05.079 about God? I mean, you might be like that steward. 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:08.240 You don't relate to God except when you're desperate. 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:11.799 You might be like that priest. You don't believe 00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:16.779 God's there at all. But if that's you, I'm trying 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:20.519 to show you today that you're missing out. The 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:24.319 death and resurrection of Jesus shows that prayer 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:26.599 is powerful, that there really is a God who is 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:29.019 there. I had a friend who used to say, Jesus 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:33.140 nails God down for us. It's a terrible pun, but 00:26:33.140 --> 00:26:37.759 I love it. If you aren't sure about whether there 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:39.940 really is a God, then please come have a chat 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:42.519 with me. I'd love to talk to you. I'd love to 00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:45.299 show you that there really is a God who is there 00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:47.579 and that the greatest proof of that is the Lord 00:26:47.579 --> 00:26:51.640 Jesus. And that it is the best thing when you 00:26:51.640 --> 00:26:55.279 know that Lord Jesus and can have God as your 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:58.819 father. It is completely life changing, actually 00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:02.200 eternity changing. So if you want to find out 00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:04.299 more, please come have a chat with me. I'd love 00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:07.980 to talk to you about it. But for those of us 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:10.259 who are here today and we are children of God, 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:13.500 we do trust in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. 00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:20.079 And the challenge isn't just to pray more. It's 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:26.279 to pray more remembering who we pray to. We're 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:32.000 praying to our all -powerful Father. Praying 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:35.339 to a God like ours is so incredibly powerful. 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:39.640 Do you know, as you look around today, this room 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:44.940 is proof of answered prayer. There's people here 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:48.400 who know and love the Lord Jesus because people 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:51.799 were praying for you. And you became Christians. 00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:56.900 And that is an incredible miracle. You know, 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:58.920 we saw today we were children of wrath. Earlier 00:27:58.920 --> 00:28:01.720 in Ephesians 2, it talks about how we were dead 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:03.960 in our sins and transgressions. We were unable 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:05.819 to do anything. We were hopeless and helpless. 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:11.329 And God saved us. And one of the things he used 00:28:11.329 --> 00:28:15.849 for that is people's prayers. Prayer is powerful 00:28:15.849 --> 00:28:25.450 because we pray to a powerful God. So can we 00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:30.849 be more ambitious as a church? Can we pray big, 00:28:30.930 --> 00:28:36.809 bold prayers? Because we believe that our Father 00:28:36.809 --> 00:28:39.509 loves us and cares about us, because we believe 00:28:39.509 --> 00:28:42.230 that he is able to do more than we ask, think 00:28:42.230 --> 00:28:46.809 or imagine. How about this? Here's some things 00:28:46.809 --> 00:28:51.410 we could pray for. What about we pray that our 00:28:51.410 --> 00:28:55.549 church would double in size? I'll give you a 00:28:55.549 --> 00:28:57.730 hint. That might be something in our vision statement 00:28:57.730 --> 00:29:02.369 that's coming up. Why don't we pray that our 00:29:02.369 --> 00:29:04.450 non -Christian friends and families would be 00:29:04.450 --> 00:29:08.829 converted? Diligently, zealously, let's pray 00:29:08.829 --> 00:29:10.950 that because we know the sort of God we have, 00:29:11.109 --> 00:29:14.430 he's able to do it. And he's more willing to 00:29:14.430 --> 00:29:19.390 see them saved than we are. Why don't we pray 00:29:19.390 --> 00:29:22.130 that those stubborn sins that cling to us like 00:29:22.130 --> 00:29:24.490 barnacles, that God would put them to death? 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:29.240 Why don't we pray that the relationships we have 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:32.619 with one another would be unique and generous 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:38.119 and overflowing with love? Do you know, for me, 00:29:38.180 --> 00:29:41.500 I've struggled for a long time with anxiety and 00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:47.359 depression. And I tell you what, knowing who 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:51.039 I'm praying to and pouring out my heart to him 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:55.759 has been such a powerful tool to manage that 00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:00.519 better. Don't mishear me. Mental health is very 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:03.339 complex. There's a lot of things we need to do 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:07.319 to manage it well. But prayer is a wonderful 00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:11.640 aspect of it, especially when you're clear about 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:16.660 the God who you're praying to. We have an all 00:30:16.660 --> 00:30:20.819 -powerful Father who loves us, whose love can 00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:23.440 always be trusted, and when his hand doesn't 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.880 give us what we want, we can trace his heart 00:30:26.880 --> 00:30:31.759 as well. When I feel or think like that priest, 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:35.480 when prayer seems like it won't get me anywhere, 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:41.220 the key is to remember the God who really is 00:30:41.220 --> 00:30:48.220 there. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we've looked 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:53.099 at four words today, and yet there is so much 00:30:53.099 --> 00:30:58.039 in them. Father, we ask that you would help us. 00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:04.619 to see that you are a caring God, a loving God, 00:31:04.819 --> 00:31:09.839 a powerful God, a wise God. Help us to see that 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:12.740 we have full and complete access to you because 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:16.180 of what Jesus has done. Help us to see that it's 00:31:16.180 --> 00:31:18.720 not just about ourselves individually, but that 00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:22.000 we have a big family all over the world that 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:26.960 we're now a part of. Father, please. Help us 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:31.259 to see how great it is to be your children and 00:31:31.259 --> 00:31:35.680 to pray to you. And we ask this in Jesus' name. 00:31:36.380 --> 00:31:36.859 Amen.