Love Connection

  • Rev. Jerry Lepasana
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • Series: Passion to Pray

 

Passion to Pray: (Part I)

LOVE CONNECTION

Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

            One truth we unashamedly declare as Christians is that we serve a living God who manifests Himself to us in extraordinary ways. Most often, we have experienced this reality in our prayers. In the Bible, you would find God openly invites His people to encounter His presence and power in their prayers.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)
3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

            Indeed, if we go to Him, He promises not just to respond, but also allow us to experience supernatural things which we have never experienced before. Can you imagine what you and I can miss if we are not praying?     

            For us as a church, the recent acquisition of our property was truly a God thing. Until today, I'm still overwhelmed with the goodness and greatness of God to BCI. Now, with what God has accomplished for us, I recognize that we have the opportunity to move our entire congregation to a higher level of relationship with God. You see, Satan has a way of convincing people that if they will have to make it in this life it is all up to them. They need to work hard, they need to be smart, they need to be disciplined. But, I hope by this time all of us are aware these are not enough. We have to be dependent on God. And the best way we express our dependence to Him is through our prayers. The truth is when we don't pray, we are literally saying, "Lord, I can handle life alone."

            This is very true for us as individual and even as a church. The life of this church depends on it. As the Christian writer E.M. Bounds put it, "What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men [and women] whom the Holy Ghost can use--men of prayer, men mighty in prayer."

            With such a conviction, I am starting a new series which I entitled, Passion to Pray.  I know majority of us believe in prayer. Surveys have found that most Americans understand or believe there is value in prayer. Gallup says 9 out of 10 believe in prayer. Impressive, right?! However, I also know the fact that belief does not always translate into practice. And what is tragic is if we are neglecting it, we are missing out in really enjoying the Christian life that we have received from God. And at the same time, I really don't want our church to miss out on the power we can experience if there's a healthy prayer life within us.

            Well, as I approach our theme, the first message is Love Connection. I feel that for many Christians prayers are like a 911 call. They only make it when they are in trouble or when they are desperate. But when you examine the Bible, prayer is absolutely more than that. Someone has referred to it as the breath of relationship. You see, we pray not because we love prayers, we pray because we love God. It is our way of keeping our love relationship with God vibrant. The key is intimacy. There may be a connection between God and us, but not an intimate connection. Let's explore this concept studying the words of Jesus Christ. Allow me to  emphasize three important aspects in this love connection:

    

I           THE CONFIDENCE:

            Our passage is part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus delivered this discourse to the multitudes of people who had been following Him in one of the mountains in Galilee. If you take the time to examine the contents of the sermon, they are all related to how God's people should live in view of the coming kingdom. In other words, there are certain expectations for people who are living in the Kingdom of God. Of course, this passage is appropriate for all believers because although the physical Kingdom is not yet a reality on earth, it is a reality in the spiritual realm. Meaning, Christ reigns in our hearts.  

            Therefore, prayer is an expectation to God's people. When you consider the text, you would find the phrase when you pray repeated three times (vs. 5, 6, 7).  Obviously, there was no need for the Lord to command it, He simply assumed that people were already involved in this activity because they know how vital it is for them. The instructions were given to simply enhance their  prayer lives. In a sense, the Bible does not accommodate the thought that there are believers who do not pray. Every believer must pray.

            In essence, the privilege of the believers is conveyed by Jesus in His usage of the word "Father."  Once again, you find this word repeated three times in order to highlight our relationship with God. This relationship was established when we have believed and received Jesus Christ as our Savior. Jesus Himself said:

John 1:12 (NIV)
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--

            So, we know we can go to God on the basis of our relationship with Him. This should give us a lot of confidence. Now, when I use the word "confidence", I want to use it in the same context that the scripture uses it.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

            Notice this passage. Verse 16 uses the word confidence which literally means boldness to say whatever is in your heart and mind. Don't miss this - because of Jesus Christ, you and I have a vital relationship with God. He is our Father. He desires to hear from us because He cares about us.  Chip Ingram, the President and CEO of Walk thru the Bible, captures the awesomeness of this love connection and wrote:

            "The Almighty, transcendent God invites you to come to him with childlike dependency and call Him Abba (Daddy). You can know that you are deeply loved, that God has nothing but good will for you, and that nothing will ever come between you and Him." 

 

II         THE CLOSET:

            Another important part of the text is the exhortation of Jesus for them to engage God privately. During the time of Christ, the people became more concerned of their religious image rather than pursuing an intimate relationship with God the Father. Jesus showed them two major manifestations of their hypocritical attitudes:

•1.      Public Prayers: (v.5) - They sought public prayers because they wanted to put up the image of being righteous. They prayed to impress people, but not God.

 

•2.      Long Repetitious Prayers: (v. 6) - Jesus specifically uses the word "Babbling" which means speaking without thinking. Just like the pagans they kept saying words without understanding them.   

           

Clearly, the missing piece is the heart for God. Since prayer is based on relationship, it is the means of communication so that intimacy can be achieved. The intimate nature of our communication with God is illustrated by going into a closet and closing the door behind us to pray. When you are in your private communication with your Father, you don't have to be so conscious about your words. You know the Father is not grading you for how well you express yourself. He is more concerned about the motives of your heart.

            Have you been maintaining those closet communications with God? Jesus Himself carved out precious time from His busy schedule to do this:

Mark 1:35 (NIV)
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

            Jesus is our ultimate example. He isolated Himself from everyone, and sought a place where He could have an undisturbed communication with God. For many, this time is usually referred as the quiet time with God.  I trust that you understand the implication - if Jesus Himself, the Son of God, needed to have closet prayers to cultivate His intimacy with the Father, how much more us? You know, so many times we allow our busyness to be the hindrance for closet times with God. But we are the ones missing out. The only way we can enjoy our relationship with God is when we learn to pursue him and prioritize Him:

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

II         THE CONSISTENCY:

            Cultivating a relationship with God demands a consistent effort from us. Going back to our text again, you will have the impression that praying is not an event you do once in a while, or an activity you remember whenever you are in crisis. It must be a lifestyle.

            In another part of the Gospels, Jesus reinforces this concept of consistency by using a picture that his listeners were very familiar with:

John 15:5-7 (NIV)
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

            Jesus compared our relationship with Him as that of a vine and branches. In order for the branches to stay alive and healthy, they have to remain in the vine. Once the branches are separated from the vine, they automatically die. Notice how Jesus repeatedly used the word remain, so that we don't miss the emphasis. Then when the branches remain, you have the promise in verse 7 about prayers becoming effective.  Undoubtedly, anyone who is seeking to experience God's power in their prayers must exert every effort necessary to consistently grow intimately with God.  

            So, how is your prayer life today? Are you consistently cultivating your relationship with God? Prayer is so vital for all of us because we are creatures of needs. God has literally made His unlimited resources available for us through prayers. One preacher has described it as God giving us a spiritual credit card with Jesus' name on it, and that card is always recognized at the Father's storehouse, where there is unlimited supply. Of course, we have to use the card responsibly, wherein our charges should fit His purposes. But He has given us an open invitation to use it.

            Beloved, prayer matters. It matters for you personally and to us as a church. I trust that we would examine our prayer lives and make some adjustments if we need to in order to establish a vibrant prayer life.  We don't have to wait until we find ourselves in some serious crises before we begin praying seriously. Let's build an intimate relationship with God where open communication is present so when those times come our help is near and accessible. I know Satan will do his best to keep you so detached and removed from God. Fight it, do whatever it takes to maintain the discipline of praying. Don't let anyone and anything rob you of your privilege to avail of God's unlimited resources.