Services | A Necessary Thing and Prayer

Bulletin

FBCWest
April 5, 2020

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
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Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 146:1 - 6
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Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Life and Ministry of Jesus The Messiah”
“A Necessary Thing and Prayer”

PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
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Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “Won’t Stop Now”







Sermon Notes
Luke 10:38 – 42
A necessary thing – learning from Jesus
Luke 11:1
Disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray
Luke 11:2 – 4
The disciples’ prayer
Luke 11:5 – 8
Persistence in prayer
Luke 11:9 & 10
Ask, Seek, knock
Luke 11:11 – 13
The Good Father’s gifts
1 John 4:19 -21

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

As we continue in our study on the life and Earthly Ministry of Jesus, we took a look that he had been ministering during the visa boots in Jerusalem and had left and was teaching and continuing to answer questions of those who either had legitimate questions, are thought to test him and then we are come now to Luke Chapter 10 verse starting with verse 38 and this is now as they were traveling along, he entered a village.

And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. We're going to see down the road that this particular family comprise of Martha and Mary Ann Lazareth, who are all siblings, become very close to Jesus. But this is our first introduction to this family, and so Martha, one of the siblings, are welcome Jesus into her home.

And Versary 9. So she had a sister called Mary who was seated at the Lords feet listening to his work. Now Mary had decided that she was going to in essence take the role of a disciple. She was going to learn at Jesuses feet. That's oftentimes what disciples would do, and so she was doing more than just interested in the conversation she was.

Sitting at his feet, meaning that he's her teacher, he's her rabbi and she's learning from him and says she's listening to his word. But Martha was distracted with all our preparations and she came up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?

Then tell her to help me now.

This is so much like women and I know I'm going to sound really chauvinistic and all that, but at least as far as my wife is concerned when she's involved in preparations, she wants to get it done now she'll always say, should we do something now or later? And I'm always saying later and she's going now I want to do it now then went well, why did you ask me? And so she's very concerned with the preparation to make sure that everybody is going to have a seat. Everybody's going to have more than enough food and whatever. And so Martha is.

Distracted, she's not paying attention to Jesus is teaching and it's not that it's wrong in the sense of she's invited him as a guess. It's very much Middle Eastern Culture as well as even in the West is that when you invite someone in the home, you're going to want them to feel welcome, and so she's going to want to make sure that he's provided for an.

And so, with all these necessary preparations is like, well, my sister just sitting there, and she asked Jesus a question. Don't you care? My sisters not helping me now? Notice she doesn't even wait for a response.

She doesn't say well, do you or don't you? She's assuming that he does.

Because immediately she said, well then tell her to help Maine.

So the option is.

Jesus sent you care that I'm doing this alone. Tell Mary to help me.

Jesus.

As an interesting response.

But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha.

Now notice he says her name twice now.

I don't know what her middle name is or was an. I don't even know if she had a middle name in in our culture. If if someone were to say Joseph Gary, then I know I'm in trouble because they use the middle name. But when you use the first name twice is usually not a review kits.

OK, I gotta. I gotta explain this to you.

So Martha Martha.

You are worried and bothered about so many things and notice he didn't say and they're not in important. He just says you're just worried and bothered by them.

So many things but only one thing is necessary.

He didn't say only one thing is important. He didn't say only one thing is the big idea. He said there is only one thing necessary.

Or Mary has chosen the good part.

Which will not be taken away from her. So you see, Mary has decided that she's gonna want to listen to the teachings of Jesus and hopefully by listening to the teachings of Jesus since she sitting at his feet. It's the type of thing that she's going to do. The teachings of Jesus and Jesus is saying that's what's necessary.

Food preparations important eatings important. The various ministries that people have are important. Jesus isn't taken away. The importance of what Martha is doing. He simply saying Mary has one thing she's doing which is necessary. You have something that is doing that he's not discounting as unimportant, but he's not going to say merry has to stop what is necessary to do something that may or may not be important.

And so many times in our lives, we get so worried and anxious and try to do things and become busy that we don't do what is necessary.

We wonder where God is.

And yet we haven't bothered to sit at his feet.

We wonder what his teachings are, but we haven't stopped to work and listen at his words and stand were so busy and often times.

Various ministers and pastors, worship leaders and Sunday school teachers and all those who are involved in various ministry can be so important and so involved and worried about their ministry that they forget what is necessary.

You see a well cannot give water and less it has water. A teacher or a pastor or preacher had not give that which he does not have.

You must first sit.

At the feet of Jesus, that is what's necessary. And again, I want to say the things that you're concerned about are not necessarily unimportant.

But Martha made the mistake of saying.

What I'm doing is equally as important as what Mary is doing, maybe even less so. The Mary should help me.

Rather than saying maybe dinner is going to be 5 minutes late.

And we continue on a Luke Chapter 11.

Which is interesting because the title of today's sermon is that which is necessary, and prayer, and oftentimes the find out what is necessary. We need to use prayer.

And so it happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place.

After he had finished one of one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples to pray.

Now.

One of the things.

That we see is that one of the reasons the disciples asked Jesus to teach them is that they saw Jesus praying.

One of the best ways to get people, especially in your family.

To pray is to be an example of a prayer warrior, one who prays.

Now, unfortunately, at least his disciples had enough sense to say Lord, teach us to pray.

And they had an example. One of Jesus teaching. But they also said, well. John taught his disciples to pray an apparently.

Knowing Jesus as the son of God, knowing that Jesus healed the sick, knowing that Jesus raise the dead, knowing that Jesus healed the blind in the death and the lame and cast out demons, his prayer life is probably pretty effective.

So if you want to learn to pray, he's an excellent person to learn to pray. But unfortunately, most of us don't do that.

What we do in learning to pray is we hear somebody pray that we think oh that sounds like a really good prayer and we copy them.

And you can also tell what denominational background a person may have just by the way they pray. And I'm not going to pick on anybody particular, but I'm going to, and so one of the things that I hear is in a particular denomination. You will hear them frequently, repeatedly, say, Lord Father, God.

And I'm sure they do that because somebody they heard, pray they were very impressed with and thought that their fair life must have been pretty great and so they picked up Lord Father God in every couple of senses. Lord Father God. We on the other hand We Baptist we tend to end our prayers with in the name of Jesus.

Thinking that by saying in the name of Jesus is like rubbing a magic lamp and God's got to do something because we after always said in the name of Jesus.

And so we hear these various prayers.

Because they sound good.

How many times have you copied what somebody prayed because they were affected?

Not that they sounded good.

They want somebody prayed for somebody to be healed and they were healed. I wanna know that prayer.

When you see that there is financial difficulty in somebody, praise and suddenly they don't have financial difficulties. I wanna know that prayer. I don't care how they prayed. I want to know was it effective. And so these disciples at least have gone to the right person and you notice they didn't say God. Jesus, can we copy the way you pray?

Does this face it? They can't copy the way Jesus price.

Because he and the father or one.

So they said, Lord teach us to pray, and so Jesus is going to.

However.

He's going to teach them in a way that, quite frankly, is surprising. Now we have grown accustomed to it because oftentimes will recite what's called the Lords prayer or the disciples prayer, or various other denominations called various other things, and will recite it. And let's face it, there are times when we recited there is power in that, especially when we, as a group, pray it together. But Jesus is going to, in essence, give them and.

Outline how to pray he's not going to say every time you pray. Repeat these words.

He's going to say here is an outline.

These are the things that you should pray and this is how to pray. And so he says. So he said to them, when you pray, say.

Father, hallowed be your name.

How load is being sub sanctified, make and keep holy so it I view it as as a two Fer.

One it is at affirmation that God's name is hollowed. Their gods name is holy, that God's name is sanctified, but it's also request that gods name continue to be treated by us as hollowed as Sanctified as holy, so that we acknowledge who it is that we're praying to Warframe too. Yes, our father.

Now in.

Matthews version it's a little different 'cause it starts out. Our father in Luke it's simply father. I don't think one is coughing the other. I think Jesus as part of his sermon on the Mount taught his disciples how to pray here. He's reminding them how to pray and he's teaching his specific disciples and so he's using this. And so if you look at it, they're not absolutely identical. But that's not the point. The point is.

The bullet points.

So it's father.

Daddy

How would be your name?

Your Kingdom come.

After acknowledging that we are talking to our father whose name is holy.

We want what's best for him first.

Your Kingdom come as Jesus is said, seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Then everything else is going to be added to you. So in Jesus is taught a prayer, he saying Do in prayer. When I'm teaching to do in life, seek first the Kingdom of God. So the very first request other than maybe God continue to make your name holy.

Is that your Kingdom come?

Then he says, give us each day Our Daily Bread.

I wish he didn't teach this. I would rather he had taught Lord give us a stay a whole years worth.

Is then I know I'm I'm provided for all year now. The way I eat I know I'm provided for all year because certainly I'm got more weight than I need to, but at the same token, the prayer life isn't Lord make me in dependent of you Lord. Sustain me each and every day. So many times our prayers our Lord, May I win the lottery. I'll even give you 90percent but you know the 10 percent I keep. You know that's going to make me rich and it's it's cool and she's saying Don't pray that.

Pray that God provides for you each and every day 'cause when God provides for you each and every day you can thank God each and every day that he provided for you rather than on December 31st of each year you say thank you or last year now on January one given that to me again.

It's each and every day. The other thing I notice.

Is that I was told that I believe it true that when someone calls you on the phone.

The reason that they called you is not the first thing they say.

Usually not the second thing they say choosy. The third thing that they say. So for instance somebody will call you in this how you doing.

They don't care, it's just polite how you doing?

And then they may say, Oh, I understand Susie got an aids or science project. Oh that's wonderful and whatever. And then the third thing, can you lend me $100? That's the reason you called. You didn't call to find out how I'm doing. You didn't call to find out whether Susie did an A or not. It's the third thing that you asked for, and so unfortunately I think in this is like, OK, yeah, let's get through it. Holy, be your name and making you come now got what I really need is is food.

And then so after the prayer, the bullet point is God provide for us each and every day. Then he says and forgive us our sins.

Which is a good thing? That's a great request.

'cause we're sinners saved by Grace and what people don't understand who aren't believers. They think, oh, you Christians think you're perfect. Don't know. We understand we are far from perfect. As a matter of fact, the closer we seem to get to God, the further away we are acknowledged that were from God. Because we see the things that we used to think we're no big deal all of a sudden become a very big deal.

And so it's God, Father, Forgive us our sins.

But nobody likes to repeat the next phrase.

For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is intended to us.

Now notice he said, as you forgive me, I forgive them. Know it's I forgiven them, so forgive me.

And it seems the hardest thing for people to do an his disciples is to forgive people.

Even though you've been forgiven.

We like to hold out. Will they harm me? They hurt me. They did all sorts of mean things to me.

Tell that to Jesus.

Your comparison of what they did to you ain't nothing compared to what they did that.

Quite frankly, ain't in comparison to what you've done to him.

And so this statement is forgive us.

Just like we've forgiven everyone else who's indebted to us.

So it isn't knowledgement in our prayer and that's why Jesus will teach at other times when it says when you go to make an offering and you realize you have something against a brother, leave the offered there and go fix it, because your relationship to your brother is important because as we've learned a few messages ago.

You can't say You Love God and hate your brother. You can't say you have a close relationship to God. The God in me or like this. If your brother and you are like that.

And so Jesus is saying, when you pray.

Ask for forgiveness, but also as you're asking forgiveness, understand that you've already forgiven those.

Who hurt you?

And then he says something that is really really important and lead us not into temptation.

Well.

I know a lot about temptation.

Because.

I can resist anything and everything except temptation.

So I'm a personal expert on temptation.

An I have found out that 99.9999 percent of the time.

God never lead me into temptation.

I love myself.

And so an example that I give and I will give it again.

As you know, one of my.

Comparisons to sin is broccoli and chocolate. Broccoli has no appeal to Maine.

I probably should instead of saying broccoli, I probably should say Brussels sprouts. And the reason why I probably should say Brussels spouts is that when I've gone to the store and all the stores been.

Decimated by people, hoarding food and is all almost nothing on the shelves. There's frozen raw.

Rose is rose like you wouldn't believe, I even told.

Manager I go, you know, maybe you oughta learn something that in the desperate times when people are buying absolutely everything, there's all kinds of Brussels sprouts on the shelf. Maybe you bought too much.

And so that doesn't end main chocolate does.

I'm not so tempted by dark chocolate, but it'll do it if it. I like milk chocolate. I like Eminem's I like her. see I like Reese is you name it. If it's chocolate. So I compare send the chocolate. Because if I use actual sins, you'll think I'm talking about you or you think I'm talking about Maine. and I don't want you to think in that. So we just use chocolate and so using this as in temptation as we go down the street, I know that there's a chocolate store.

Will say sees candy.

And I know sees candies on this block. Maybe I shouldn't walk down that block? That would be a good first start, but you know, being Maine, I walked down the block. I go. OK, well start on the other side of the block.

And then I find myself crossing the street.

Then I said, well, I'll just look in the window. There's no harm in looking into window in our see all the chocolate.

And I really love molasses ships.

And I see and I can smell well, I'll just go in the store and smell the chocolate.

That can hurt.

And then I end up buying a pound of chocolate and eating it before I get home.

So one I need to understand that oftentimes I'm lead into temptation by my own appetite.

So don't blame God for those things.

But there also a certain sense that will lead us not into temptation.

And I view this is kind of the conversation that God had was Satan about job.

In settings where he only blesses you because.

You provide for him. You take the stuff away and he'll curse you.

OK, see.

Jacob, I mean job has been fought put into a position to show that he is the man of God. He is.

I'm not so sure I'm that strong, so God lead me not into temptation.

God make the test. I know if you give me a test I'm going to pass it because you know already that the test is going to be satisfied.

Let's face it, I'm a chicken and I want to go through it.

So lead us not into temptation now, notice again, did. This is different from Matthews version of the Lords prayer.

And again, I'm emphasizing this because it isn't the prayer we pray all the time. He's teaching his disciples how to pray here. The bullet points acknowledge that God is who he is, that he's both father and holy.

That he.

And his Kingdom.

Is what I seek first.

That he will give me each day my daily bread, just as he did the Manna from heaven that I'm going to forgive, which will remind me that when I need forgiveness, I also need to forgive.

And God.

As you leave me as you the Good Shepherd lead me.

Understand that I'm one of those sheep who tend to wander off when things get hard, so maybe not not make it as hard.

Is it ought to be?

Until I'm a little stronger.

So that's the Prairie taught. Those are the bullet points, but then he's going to say more about prayer. Verse five pieces. Then he said to them. Suppose one of you has a friend.

And goes to him at midnight and said to him friend, then me 3 loaves for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey.

Now I have nothing to set before him.

And from the inside he answers and says do not bother Maine. The door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed.

I cannot get up and give you anything.

That's a great friend.

God, I have a friend. He's not you. I have a friend and in my culture I need to provide for him and I wasn't expecting him. He just showed up at my door. So I need to provide for him. So lonely I'm not even asking to give it to me, just lonely some bread so that I might serve him that I might be a good host.

And you're my friend. I know it's midnight. It's late, you've had a hard day, you got kids I get it. But I need the bread.

Because no.

Again, some great friend.

I tell you.

Even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend.

Notice.

He didn't say because the hours late he said, even though their friends he didn't give it to him.

Because he isn't yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. You see the Princess I need bread. Let me borrow 3 loaves and the friend in cycles at it's late. It starts the door shut. Kids are in bed. I'm in bed now. The pictures I see the guy screaming from his bed I ain't getting up.

So it is a friend do.

But I need bread.

I need bread. I need bread. Guess what if I want to get some sleep tonight I'm gonna give him the bread.

It's going to be less of a bother to get up.

In the cold of the night, find the three loaves of bread, unlock the door, make sure my kids awake up. Given the bread as they get the heck outta here, shut the door and go back to bed. Then it is to keep hearing the rap on the door get up and give me some bread.

So.

I say to you, so Jesus has given us a little tidbit of an example.

Almost like a a parable.

So I say to you.

Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you.

You see, Jesus says it's not necessarily the words that you use.

But the persistence in the prayer.

I tell people frequently.

You cannot care more than the people you're trying to do. Whatever you're trying to do.

And it seems that you care more than the people were trying, and so God, in essence, saying how much do you care? Is this really a burden to you? It's so much a burden to you that you pray, Lord, Grant this and then you go away. Then maybe it wasn't that important, but if you say Lord Grantis.

And he didn't do it right away. Lord Grant is Lorde Granthas. It's teaching you to be in Jesus ain't be persistence in prayer.

I think also that there is a another reason that we don't necessarily see in this passage.

Is there something I've been praying for for quite awhile?

And God hasn't done it yet.

Now the answer could be.

He just doesn't wanna answer my prayer.

I doubt that.

Because what I'm praying for, I think it's a really good reason. It's not to be wealthy, and it's.

The thing I'm praying for.

But I'm beginning to understand.

That

He's not necessarily wanting that situation to change, but the change me.

And by being persistent in prayer, I discover the real problem is not that but me.

If I only give it a passing glance of concern.

He doesn't teach me what I need to know.

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks fines know him, knocks, it will be opened.

Now, lots of people love to take this out of context.

Because they think that you can ask for anything.

And I'll give it to you because he's after all the Great Genie. If you say in Jesus name or all the other things that God's got to do it. 'cause after all, it says if you ask if you seek if you knock, it's going to be done to you. But notice how he follows it up.

Now suppose one of you father's is asked by his son for a fish.

Will he not give him a snake instead of the fish? Will he be saying OK if your son asked for something?

I fear something to eat. You're not going to give him something that will harm him, will you?



Or if he asked for egg, will he not give him a scorpion Willie now?

If my wife saw scorpion, she panic. I mean, you know, and so scorpions are bad dudes and whatever.

If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more with your heavenly father. Give the Holy Spirit that those will ask him.

Two things here. He's teaching.

Your father, whom you're asking who you're asking, who you're knocking who you're seeking gives you good things. The thing that you may be asking for may not be good.

For you.

I won't use any particular name, but there are a number of people.

Who have in their childhood life become very famous either through singing or the movies or whatever.

And because they are given this instant fame and wealth.

They seem to have lives that spin out of control.

Maybe having that part in the movie, maybe singing that particular song was not good for them.

And their lives.

God knows what is good for you and maybe what you're asking for.

Is not good for you, though you may think it's good.

But also notice he said if you're being evil, know how to give good gifts. Notice he says will not the heavenly father give you the Holy Spirit.

To those who ask him, because what's the first thing we're supposed to ask for for your Kingdom come? How does your Kingdom come by the Holy Spirit being placed in Maine and by the Holy Spirit Spirit empowering me, and by this Holy Spirit testifying about Jesus to others that brings about and so if I am truly seeking his Kingdom first.

Then his answer first is his Kingdom.

But all too often we want to.

Concentrate on the temporary.

God give me this dog. Give me that God give me fame God give me wealth God give me friends God give me whatever.

None of those things will last.

There are a lot of people.

Who are very important in history?

Anybody learn history? They know about it?

Leaving those famous people tend to be forgotten.

The famous leading.

Life is fleeting.

Well to sleep.

The Holy Spirit is eternal.

Ask, seek, knock for that which last an eternity.

So you wanna know how Jesus prayed? Jesus prayed father, not my will but your will be done.

Father, I speak what you tell me to say.

Father, I see what you're doing, and I do that.

We want to pray like Jesus.

And we need to seek the father's business first.

Because let's face it.

All of us who are believers.

Or in a family business.

It's called our father's Kingdom.

The great thing about our father's Kingdom is it will last forever.

In business you see what happens is the first generation builds the business. The second generation lives off the business, and the 3rd generation causes it to be bankrupt.

But in our family business.

The father's business.

He starts as a mustard seed that grows and it grows, and it grows and it does not end in this life.

Our father's business.

Is about heaven.

About souls, about who he is.

Seek first his Kingdom pray first.

His Kingdom.

And all this will be added to you.

And all God's people said.