Sermon Notes for July 25, 2010, see www.sermon.net/First_Church
Igniting a Passion for Christ and His Church
n Prayer plows the Hard Ground of a contented
Parched – a crisis leave us dry, barren and alone.
Weed-infested – the pace of life grows things we never intended
Fallow – without use, we can forget that our lives have a purpose
n Prayer encounters the Sovereignty of God
Comfort and Convenience harden the soul.
Crisis and Chaos challenge the status quo.
n Prayer is DANGEROUS! Proceed with Caution!
"Not my will by thy will be done." Matthew 26:42
Praying makes you want what God wants.
Transformational Prayer
- PRAYER is Active Listening – "Be still and know that I am God" Ps 46:10
- PRAYER is very personal– You will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deut 4:29
- PRAYER is daily food -- "Give us each day our daily bread." Luke 11:3
Prayer is….what?
Prayer is—and should be—a mystery, the greatest mystery of all because in it you try to engage the God who is unknowable in ordinary conversation. In prayer you call up the eternal and ask it to be revealed to the finite. Perhaps you whisper the Our Father as you fall asleep, and say grace over your food, and holler "Fix this!" at God when you watch the day's depressing news.
Every time you acknowledge the Sovereignty of God over circumstance, plans, or people -- you have prayed.
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.