Communion with God: Trust, Love, and Meaningful Prayer
Summary
The sermon begins with the pastor emphasizing the importance of community and prayer. He encourages the congregation to view prayer not as a routine task but as a means of communion with God. The pastor then delves into the central message of the Bible, which is to love God and love people, as reflected in the Lord's Prayer. He warns against the dangers of idolizing worldly things and highlights the consequences of trading the truth about God for a lie.
The pastor then shifts the focus to the importance of having a trusting relationship with God as our heavenly Father. He quotes James 1:17, which states that every good thing is a gift from our Father. However, in God's kingdom, we receive something far greater than any gift or provision - we receive the giver Himself. This relationship not only helps us navigate through life but also grants us citizenship in God's coming Kingdom, where His will is always done and His creation is fully restored.
The pastor then addresses the congregation and encourages those who have recently become Christians to let the church know. He promises to reach out to them during the week, providing them with a Bible and offering support as they begin their journey of following Jesus. The pastor also extends a warm welcome to visitors and expresses a desire to connect with them. He invites them to stop by the connection center and indicate that they are visitors, as there is a small gift waiting for them.
The sermon concludes with the pastor emphasizing the importance of trusting in God's plans and believing that He works all things for good, even when we cannot see the good in it. He uses a parable of a grandpa with his grandkids in a car to illustrate this point. The pastor also emphasizes the importance of prayer and encourages the congregation not to overthink it. Instead, they should simply start praying and express themselves honestly to God. The pastor highlights that Jesus showed us that there is no wrong way to pray, as long as we pray.
Key Takeaways:
- Prayer is a means of communion with God, not just a routine or task. The pastor encourages the congregation to pray like Jesus prayed, expressing themselves honestly to God and seeking a deep relationship with Him. ([49:33])
- The central message of the Bible is to love God and love people. This command is reflected in the Lord's Prayer, with the first half focusing on loving God and the second half on loving people. The pastor emphasizes the importance of understanding the order of these relationships, with loving God coming before loving people. ([52:12])
- The pastor warns against the dangers of idolizing worldly things such as celebrity, success, money, power, sex, and self. He highlights the consequences of trading the truth about God for a lie and worshiping created things instead of the Creator. ([55:45])
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of having a trusting relationship with God as our heavenly Father. He quotes James 1:17, which states that every good thing is a gift from our Father. However, in God's kingdom, we receive something far greater than any gift or provision - we receive the giver Himself. ([58:33])
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's plans and believing that He works all things for good, even when we cannot see the good in it. He uses a parable of a grandpa with his grandkids in a car to illustrate this point. The pastor also emphasizes the importance of prayer and encourages the congregation not to overthink it. Instead, they should simply start praying and express themselves honestly to God. ([61:12])
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Luke 11:1-4: "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.' He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
2. Matthew 22:37-40: "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'"
3. 1 Thessalonians 5:16: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Observation Questions:
1. What are the key elements of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples in Luke 11:1-4?
2. In Matthew 22:37-40, what are the two commandments that Jesus highlights and how are they related?
3. What does 1 Thessalonians 5:16 instruct us to do in all circumstances?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the prayer in Luke 11:1-4 reflect our relationship with God and our dependence on Him?
2. How does loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind influence our ability to love our neighbor as ourselves, as stated in Matthew 22:37-40?
3. What does it mean to "rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances" as instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:16? How does this relate to God's will for us in Christ Jesus?
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your prayer life. How can you incorporate the elements of the prayer Jesus taught in Luke 11:1-4 into your daily prayers?
2. Identify one person in your life who you find difficult to love as yourself. What is one specific action you can take this week to show them love?
3. How can you practice rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances this week? Can you think of a specific situation where you can apply this?
4. What worldly things are you tempted to idolize? How can you shift your focus from these things to loving God and people?
5. Reflect on a recent situation where you found it difficult to trust in God's plans. How can you remind yourself of God's goodness and faithfulness in such situations?
Devotional
Day 1: Communion with God through Prayer
Prayer is not merely a task or routine, but a communion with God ([49:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPQzk-oFvjY&t=2958s)). It is a means of expressing our desires, fears, and gratitude, deepening our relationship with God and aligning our will with His. This intimate communication with God is not just about asking for things, but about expressing our innermost thoughts and feelings, and seeking His guidance and wisdom.
Psalm 62:8 - "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
Reflection: How can you deepen your communion with God through prayer today? Can you think of a specific fear or desire you can express to Him?
Day 2: Love God, Love People
The central message of the Bible is to love God and love people ([52:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPQzk-oFvjY&t=3117s)). Understanding the order of these relationships is crucial, with loving God coming before loving people. This command is reflected in the Lord's Prayer and is the foundation of our faith.
1 John 4:21 - "And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."
Reflection: How can you show love to God and to people in your life today? Can you think of a specific act of kindness you can do?
Day 3: Worship the Creator, Not the Created
Idolizing worldly things such as celebrity, success, money, power, sex, and self leads to a dark and confused mind, and vile and degrading behavior ([56:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPQzk-oFvjY&t=3390s)). It is crucial to worship the Creator, not the created things. This requires a shift in focus from the temporal to the eternal.
Colossians 3:2 - "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Reflection: What worldly things are you tempted to idolize? How can you shift your focus to worship the Creator today?
Day 4: Trusting God as Our Perfect Father
Trusting God as a perfect father is crucial ([12:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPQzk-oFvjY&t=750s)). He knows what is best for us and is capable of bringing about what is best in our lives. This trust in God is a foundation that needs to be established before moving forward.
Psalm 103:13 - "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him."
Reflection: How can you trust God as your perfect Father today? Can you think of a specific area in your life where you need to trust Him more?
Day 5: Meaningful Prayer
It is important to truly mean and understand the words we say in our prayers ([48:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPQzk-oFvjY&t=2915s)). We should reflect on the words we use in our prayers and strive to truly mean them, rather than using filler words without grasping their significance.
Matthew 6:7 - "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."
Reflection: How can you make your prayers more meaningful today? Can you think of a specific phrase or word you can use to express your heart to God?
Quotes
"Constant state of prayer is not just about being on your knees all the time, but rather being completely connected to God all the time, just like how we are always close to our cell phones. It would feel weird not to have that connection." [33:03]
"For Jesus, prayer wasn't about a technique, it wasn't about rules. It was about a relationship. And for us, following Jesus is all about relationship, it's not about technique or rules or commandments." [36:03]
"Jesus said, 'What's the most important commandment? You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and a second one is equally important: love your neighbor as yourself.'" [37:50]
"Instead of worshiping the Glorious everliving God, they worship the idols that look like success and money and power and sex and stuff and self." [01:05:15]
"They traded the truth about God for a lie, so they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself." [01:05:50]
"What God wants most for us is what's really best for us and that's a real trusting relationship with him where we really know him as our heavenly father and we trust him for everything." [01:06:34]
"Praying in Jesus' name is actually less about getting him on board with my plans and more about getting me on board with his plans. It's about me aligning my will to his will." [58:37]
"Your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven...we just say it man, it's like you we say things all the time, it's not that we don't mean them but we don't mean them right." [47:28]
"Humanity couldn't fully trust God why because they believed the lie about who he was so we didn't want his presence if it came with his version of what was good and what was evil we wanted to decide what was best for us instead of fully trusting God and that led to the world being jacked up right disease and War and sin and hate and death and separation from God" (source: [45:11]).
"Just when things seemed the most hopeless, a better Adam came right, a better man, a messiah came to this world to the broken world and this man could fully trust God's love and God's power and God's idea of good and that Messiah came to create and to teach and to empower a whole new Adam, a whole new Humanity and what was his name? Jesus" (source: [46:00]).
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