A closer look at the Disciple’s Prayer in the Matthew 6 will reveal several important things for believers to consider. As we have discussed the last three weeks, we see how God is the priority in prayer. In Jesus’ model prayer, He saves the first things for that which belongs to the heavenly Father. It is only after the items related to God’s will and His kingdom and sovereignty that he switches gears toward something more mortal. We must come to know God as the One who longs to make provision for us so we must include this in our prayer. Of the many things this particular text tells us, verse 11 communicates three imperatives: a) Dependence ON God, b) Trust IN God and c) Satisfaction WITH God. This week we are looking at verse 11 where Jesus teaches us to ask, “give us this day our daily bread.” When we think about this verse our mind will automatically rush toward food (well, mine does anyway), but I challenge you to ask yourself this question: Why should I pray for that which I should probably consume less of? How does our western culture influence how we view this part of Scripture? We will answer these questions and more Sunday at 11am at Cash Creek Baptist Church. To connect church and home, check out www.cashcreekbaptist.org/preaching for a weekly family worship guide to go along with the sermon. See you Sunday!
We live in a day where we do not have to look far to see what is happening around the world. We no longer have to search out news or information – somehow, it finds us. Because of the reality of this shrinking world we are bombarded in our culture by images, headlines and sound-bytes that bring us some wonderful things that happen but mostly a picture of depravity across the world. We hear of every erupting volcano, every earth tremble, every military deployment, every suspicion that comes from the nations’ governments and everything that characterizes our world as a place that we increasingly do not recognize.
But what about the preacher in Ecclesiastes? He said, “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, ‘See this, it is new?’ Already it has existed for ages which were before us.” Could he be right? That indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. But what do we make of world events? What is God’s plan through these events? Is the world really getting that much more depressing? I’m not so sure. Paul wrote in Romans 8 that all creation groans. Are the groans that much louder today than they were one hundred years ago? Maybe, but we live in a world of mass communication and instant news information so within mere moments what happens on the Indian subcontinent can appear on my personal computer screen.
Some like to feed their conspiracy theorist minds with the predictions of end times gathered from nothing more than a headline. Minds turn toward the details of tribulation and suffering and the meaning of it instead of turning to the one sure source of answers – the Bible. This Sunday night we are going to begin a five week study on understanding the big picture of the end times according to God’s Word. We are going to put to rest the temptation to dwell on the inappropriate matters of the end times and turn our focus on the point of the end times – Jesus Christ. In this study we will be concentrating on four views of Jesus’ millennial reign. This will be not only informative but also surprising as we look to four popular views throughout Christendom on matters pertaining to Revelation.
Come join us beginning this Sunday night at 6PM as we journey through this series on the millennium. You will not want to miss this opportunity!
As we continue through the Sermon on the Mount, we find ourselves in a familiar and often misunderstood passage of Scripture. Prayer is an important discipline of the Christian life and for millennia now we have seen Christians engage in prayer. The Bible gives many examples of prayers and people praying. But what about this strange practice? What would an unconverted person think of someone bowing their heads uttering words to what seems like merely ‘thin air?’ Unfortunately many believers are doing just that – stringing together words to the Lord that have nothing to do with the Lord’s purpose in prayer. In prayer, we often find ourselves airing our laundry list of requests that we think are appropriate to ask of our Creator. We have such a high estimation of ourselves that we fail to remember who we are and to Whom we are praying.
Jesus gives us instruction on prayer in Matthew 6 that we should heed. In looking toward the entire “Lord’s Prayer,” we see not a rigid memorized prayer, but a model for His disciples. Luke 11 records a parallel teaching but without the exact wording. If this prayer was meant to be just recited, I think the evangelists (Matthew and Luke) would have taken more painstaking efforts in copying down Jesus’ exact words. However, Jesus says to His disciples to pray “in this way;” not pray just like this.
So what is important about (what I shall refer to as) the Disciple’s Prayer? The important thing about what Jesus models is that prayer need not be totally about us. Rather, the first priority should be that of “Our Father, who is in heaven.” Jesus takes the time to teach the disciples that prayer is ultimately not about us and our wants and needs, it is about God’s desires. Prayer is not about the hangnail that I am fighting, it is about the Christ who has defeated sin by His blood, shed on the cross for His church. Prayer is about Jesus and our getting on the same page as God. Our first priority in prayer should be that of adoring our heavenly Father and consecrating His holy name. So many times we find our prayers entirely self-consuming. Let us renew a commitment to prayer that reflects what Scripture says about God.
I do not believe that prayer changes God’s mind, but it will change ours. I believe God knows what He is doing and does not need our help. The purpose of prayer is not about convincing God to do something or not to do something. It is about us (the creation) desiring the will of God (the Creator) to be done so that we are left glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ.
After nine months of prayerful planning, engaging discussions and searching the Scriptures, the vision that Christ has for His church is finally being realized. During this time, God has shown Himself in marvelous ways through His Word and time spent fasting and praying that we would be moved to a closer fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Southern Baptists have been leaders in church planting and missionary activity for decades. Missions is a significant part of Baptist life; our unique funding mechanisms allow us to give cooperatively and generously for the sake of seeing the name of Christ highly exalted. Through the counsel of the Scriptures, it is clear that the Great Commission should be central to the church’s focus. Although, we are engaged at some level in cooperative mission work, it is time to stretch our willingness to be obedient to encompass everything that Jesus commands of us. It is time for a Great Commission Reformation.
The chief end of the Great Commission is not to save people; rather, our obedience is an expression of adoration and worship of Christ. Even though we have many resources focused on various missionary efforts, our principal purpose is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and strength. Jesus referred to this as the Great Commandment. If we are to see a Great Commission Reformation, we must first experience a Great Commandment Reformation. This requires us to recapture our first love of Christ and the sovereign grace that He has afforded believers. It is only when we fall more in love with Jesus, will we be compelled to be more obedient to that which He has commanded us.
We must embrace both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as essential to our vision as a church. When we fall in love with Him, we will engage the nations with the same love and fervor as when Christ first sought us.
(GC)²
Great Commandment • Great Commission
REFORMATION
