Wednesday, January 4, 2023 PM

Sunnyside Baptist Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:04

Well, good evening There is a yeah, there's a really Competitive chess match going on over there

00:13

And I suspect mr. DeForest is getting schooled But I don't know that for sure

00:24

Let's open let's open with prayer father. We thank you that you allow us to gather as brothers and sisters in Christ Give us your word give us the

00:34

Holy Spirit you give us the ability to read and comprehend and meditate and enjoy the truth of your word and We just ask that this evening.

00:44

You might just give us a glimpse into more of who you are and how you work through people We ask this in Christ's name.

00:52

Amen It's morning. I want to just this evening. I just want to spend a little bit of time

00:58

This this came into my possession just Recently it's by Martin Luther.

01:06

It's a simple way to pray If you know anything about Martin he was born in 1483 and he died in 1546

01:23

And for most of his life he was a Protestant reformer He was a priest

01:29

He was a theologian. He was an author. He was a hymn writer. He's a professor

01:36

He was an Augustinian monk. And of course, we know him probably more famously for writing the 95 thesis

01:47

In 1517 but in 1535 he had a friend

01:55

Who was a master barber Now, I don't know what makes a difference between a

02:03

You know a rookie barber and a Apprentice apprenticed or journeyman barber or master barber, but had a friend

02:11

Peter Beskendorf and Peter While apparently

02:18

Being a barber with mr. Luther in the chair Asked him about a simple way to prayer.

02:25

What what? What tips what guidance could he give to praying well and praying effectively and and and doing that in a way that was

02:39

Productive and helpful so as a result of that Martin wrote a short book called this a simple way to pray just a few pages and He highlighted a few things in particular

02:59

Using the word using the first the Ten Commandments using the model prayer as we find in Matthew 6 and He set it up in a such a way that he used this this formula this framework this

03:17

Skeleton and I find that I'm missing some of my prayer life by using this but he started with instructions

03:26

And I'm going to read to you an example of how that works so you can get it and obviously

03:33

Thanksgiving and confession which I Don't know that I do enough of I Don't know that I spent enough time in prayer asking

03:43

God to forgive me for things I have not done or things that I did do and then prayer the actual prayer intercessory prayer for others prayer for himself

04:02

He gave instructions to prepare to meditate to find a quiet spot to and some of this is just we know right

04:13

He said you need a comfortable kneeler Now haven't how what is a kneeler anybody know it's a little stool with short legs upholstered usually in a

04:29

Lutheran or Methodist or a Catholic Church we have fold -down kneelers in the pews

04:35

So that you can kneel while praying He suggested that you do that or you could just stand or you could hold your hands in prayer lift them

04:46

He said take a few deep clearing breaths prepare yourself And continue to breathe deeply now that doesn't mean you get to the point you're to be breathing really deeply because you're falling asleep

04:59

Thus kneeling or standing and recite the Lord's Prayer He felt that that was a way to enter in To this awareness

05:14

Acknowledgement that there is this God Who gave us through Christ the model and It reminds it sets in stage in process our thought processes

05:30

Matthew 6 is where I find it verse 9 our Father in heaven hallowed be thy name

05:37

Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven Give us today our daily bread

05:44

Give us our debts as we also give our debtors and lead us not into temptation

05:51

But to deliver us from the evil one so he said as you

06:00

Do that ask your quest questions like what words in that Lord's Prayer? Trouble you or encourage you or comfort you or disturb you consider

06:14

What the text teaches you? so as an example This is one.

06:20

He gives in Hebrews 13 verse 17

06:29

So we're going to use an example of this for this format or this framework

06:37

In Hebrews 13 17 it says obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls as Those who will have to give an account

06:51

Let them do this with joy And not with groaning For that would be of no advantage to you

07:00

So as part of the instruction process He suggests this Lord Christ you instruct me here that I am to listen carefully and heed the word of my pastor when he speaks your word

07:16

The pastoral office is profound and My pastor is not only charged to watch over my soul

07:24

But you also call him to account for his service to me Finally you tell me in this text.

07:31

I am to be a joy to my pastor and not a pain and this for my own spiritual benefit

07:40

So he gives instruction about the scripture, and I think

07:46

I Pray that you do you pray for your pastor often

07:52

I? I Believe God answers our prayers here at Sunnyside While we pray for our pastor because of the power and the strength and the manner in which he does pray

08:05

Indicates that the Holy Spirit is teaching him and Thanksgiving He suggests you pray this way

08:15

Jesus. I thank you for my pastor and thank you in fact. I thank you for the pastor

08:21

Who may have baptized me and all pastors who have served me in my life as a

08:26

Christian Thank you for all the sermons that clearly shown me my sin and Delivered me to get the free forgiveness of the gospel

08:36

Because of your sacrifice for me on the cross Thanking I heard those messages

08:45

I heard those Testimonials I Had a man share scripture with me in a devotional type way and it convicted me and As I have sat under different pastors.

09:04

I have learned different things But I have been fortunate that we have had pastors who choose

09:13

To teach as well as they could With the Holy Spirit's leading the

09:19

Word of God Knowing that they are imperfect, too But we are not to be a stumbling block to our pastor if he is a godly man leading our congregation and so We have had a great heritage at Sunnyside Of having pastors who spent

09:45

Significant time in the word trying to teach us then confession He suggests this

09:54

Lord, I confess that often. I fail to pray for my pastor. I fail to be gracious to his family

10:02

I do not pay attention to his preaching. I Have gossiped and failed to love and defend him and put the best construction on everything.

10:15

I Deserve to have my faith faithful pastor taken away Forgive me my many sins and help me to do the better help me do especially be a joy to my pastor an encouragement be encouraged being in his difficult office

10:39

Our pastor has much Responsibility just in his own household as you do and there's sometimes it becomes

10:54

Much to handle But you have us in this room.

11:00

We don't also have the burden of a flock to lead so We want to be a joy to our pastor

11:13

And then prayer It's a Savior Bless my pastor with faithfulness to your word cause him to grow in Knowledge of your word encourage and strength for his tasks.

11:27

I thank you for in this case Michael and For all faithful pastors grant success to the work of our seminaries

11:36

Bless our professors and students and give my pastor joy. I ask all this for your sake alone

11:44

Amen, I need

11:53

I'm convicted by that. I love my pastor. I love my my brother elders.

11:59

I love my deacons. I love you guys and I do know that this is a praying church

12:07

And We are fortunate in that but we need to be more

12:13

Praying as I went through this list the one one item on here.

12:30

The most is confession. I pray a lot for others

12:37

When I'm asked but I don't confess My sin my shortcomings my failures my lack of faith

12:49

My lack of obedience Like I should and as I look at myself,

12:58

I realize I don't deserve What I have

13:04

I Don't deserve a pastor who breaks the word rightly.

13:10

I don't deserve brothers and sisters in Christ like we have But God as Starley says a lot

13:18

But God is gracious Prayer doesn't have to be

13:27

Complex. It doesn't have to be just certain times

13:33

But it does require us to think in terms of instruction

13:42

To spend time in the word to instruct us and it sets the stage

13:49

For our giving thanks and confessing and praying today in our

13:57

Reading Was Isaiah 53. I love it because it talks about the suffering of his servant his servant

14:11

Christ God's servant Christ his son suffered for us

14:21

Suffered to a point. We don't understand. I Still don't

14:27

Comprehend that sacrifice. I don't The more I try to understand it the more

14:34

I don't that makes sense It becomes more of a mystery And in Isaiah 53 he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him

14:51

Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him He was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering

15:03

Like one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we esteemed him not

15:11

Yet surely he took up our infirmities and he carried our sorrows

15:18

Yet we considered him stricken by God smitten by him and afflicted but he was pierced for our transgressions

15:26

He was crushed for our iniquities The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed

15:36

We like sheep have all gone astray Each of us has turned to his own way and the

15:45

Lord has laid on him the iniquity of Us all some of us.

16:02

Maybe maybe all of us have had a time when we felt we were treated unfairly when someone

16:13

Abused us verbally or spiritually Disrespected us

16:22

Attempted to embarrass us blame us Maybe rightly maybe not rightly and we we got off got offended

16:35

And got self -righteous and upset and angry

16:42

And wanted to lash out and get vengeance

16:48

Vengeance, but we didn't take on the sins of the world.

17:00

We were not abused like our

17:06

Christ We were not nailed to a cross the ultimate

17:17

Hurt so just as you as you pray routinely

17:26

And I know you do Consider his word as your instruction

17:36

Consider being thankful a heart of gratitude Consider confessing so there's nothing at all between you and Christ between you and God and then you can pray

17:51

And pray effectively and pray That brings joy Knowing that you've communed with God that you spent time in his presence that the

18:02

Holy Spirit has revealed more of his character to you and Your character becomes more like his and that we we come away humbled and Satisfied in being a child of the kingdom

18:31

And I pray that for you pray that for all of you Thoughts or comments.