“One Thing I Ask” [Matt's Messages]

“One Thing I Ask”

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

January 4, 2026 :: Psalm 27:1-14  

What are you asking the Lord for in 2026?

What are you praying for as we set out into a new year? What do you want?

Many of us start the year by making some goals. We’re going to lose the weight we put on during Christmas, and we’re going to get “shredded.” We’re going to read our Bibles from cover to cover. We’re going to get our finances under control. We’re going to pray more.

These are all good things to aim at.

I’m asking, “When you are praying more, what are you going to pray for?”

What are you asking the Lord for in 2026?

As I thought about where to start our study of the Bible this first Sunday of the year, I quickly settled on Psalm 27, one of the psalms by King David.

It’s a beautiful psalm. One of the boldest and brightest in whole Psalter. And it starts with one of the most exuberant and positive expressions of confidence in the Lord in the whole Bible. Verse one is one that every single Christian should have committed to memory and stored up in our hearts.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? 

The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?”

What a great declaration to begin a new year!

But the main reason I settled on Psalm 27 for us today is that King David also has one big prayer request. He’s got one main thing that He is praying for with his whole heart. He sings it in verse 4, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek.”

If you want to know David’s heart, it’s right here.

And I think that the one thing that David wants should be the one thing that we want, too, in 2026.

The one thing that we pray for in 2026. The one thing we seek. What is that? We will see....but let’s start where David starts his song. Psalm 27, verses 1 through 3.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident” (vv.1-3).

Doesn’t that sound great?!

Psalm 27 is a psalm of:

#1. GLAD-HEARTED CONFIDENCE.

David is scared of no thing. At the start of his song, David is not afraid of anything that is coming at him in life.

That doesn’t mean he won’t have trouble. He can foresee lots of trouble in his future. David had enemies left, right, and center. He was constantly under attack, nearly his whole life. And not just from other nations. He was attacked by members of his own family. His father-in-law. His son! David looked out on his future and can imagine evil men coming at him like a pack of wolves to eat up flesh. He can imagine war coming at him with enemies on every side.  

But he is not scared in the slightest. “My heart will not fear.” He sings! Because he expects to win. He expects his enemies to stumble and fall. They might rise like Haman did (boo/hiss!), but they are going to fall like Haman did, too. "It doesn’t matter what they throw against me!" (V.3) “...even then will I be confident.”

Is that how you are going into 2026? Some of you are. You are busting into the new year and saying, “Do your worst 2026! My heart will not fear!”

I want to be like that. I want to feel that glad-hearted confidence and sing it out.

What was David’s secret? He didn’t focus on his enemies. He focused on the LORD. Right? David doesn’t say, “I’m not afraid of my enemies. I’m strong than them. I’m going to be tough this year. I’m going to be unbeatable.”

No. What does he say? “The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?” David is confident, not in Himself, but in the LORD, Yahweh. 

He says that LORD is his light.  What a beautiful declaration. That’s right up there with the, “LORD is my shepherd,” isn’t it?  

Notice that the LORD doesn’t just provide light to David. He doesn’t just send light to David. He IS David’s light! Personally. And that means so much. Light stands for everything that is good. Light stands for everything that is positive. Warmth, guidance, blessing, holiness, wonder, glory. The LORD is all of that for David and so much more.

I’ve been walking in the dark this winter. I get up before the sun does and head out in the snow and ice to get my steps in. And it’s good for me even in the dark.

But a few days last month, especially because of the holiday, I got to sleep in a little bit, and when I was coming back from my walk, the sun was coming up. 

And it was on my back and on the trees of Lanse, and it just lifted my heart to see the light. One day, I turned around and took this picture (12/15/25).

“The LORD is my light!”

“And my salvation.” Again, the LORD doesn’t just send salvation to David. He is his salvation.

The light dispels the darkness. The light saves the king from the danger.

Then David asks a question, “Whom shall I fear?” What’s the answer to that question? ... Nobody!

And then he has another metaphor for the Yahweh. “The LORD is the stronghold of my life...” What does that mean? It means the LORD is his protection. The LORD is the place that David goes to feel safe. A mighty fortress is David’s God. He runs to the LORD and is safe. 

Question. If this is true, “of whom shall I be afraid?” Answer? Nobody.

In other words, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” No one. Lots of people can be against us, but none of them will prevail.

Now, David felt that way for good reason. He was the anointed king of Israel. And he had been promised success against his earthly foes. He had been promised by God in 2 Samuel 7 that his kingdom would prosper and he would have rest from all his enemies. 

The LORD would be his light, salvation, and stronghold. And David, as he trusted and obeyed the LORD would just win, and win, and win and win.

Does this mean that Christians today will never lose a battle? That all we’re going to do in 2026 is win, win, win, win, win?

No...and yes. Because the LORD has promised that, ultimately, we will never lose to our true enemies.

Our enemies are not quite like David’s. They are not flesh and blood. They are more spiritual than that. Darker and more sinister but just as defeated.

The Apostle Paul said, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? .... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

Because He is our light and our salvation and the stronghold of our life! Whom shall we fear?

I want to sing like this. But it’s not always easy. 

Sometimes I have to sing verse 1 like this, “The LORD is my light and mys salvation (Don’t forget, O my soul!). The LORD is the stronghold of my life (even though it doesn’t feel like it right now). Help me, Lord, to not be afraid.”

The key is to focus on the LORD and not on our enemies. And that is the number one thing that David prays for in Psalm 27. That he would focus on the LORD like no other.  Look at verse 4.

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”

Psalm 27 is a song of glad-hearted confidence and also:

#2. SINGLE-HEARTED DEVOTION.

One thing! “One thing I ask of the LORD. This is what I seek.”

Now, David asks lots of things. He is constantly praying for things. He will pray for more than one thing in this song about praying for one thing.

But he means that that there is one central thing that all the other things orbit. He means that this one thing is more important than all the other things. He means that all those other things come from this one thing. He means that there is ultimately just one thing. And that is to truly know God.

He puts it in terms that his fellow Old Testament Israelites would understand.

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”

Now, he doesn’t mean that literally. David was never going to move into the tabernacle or (after his son built it) into the temple. And he doesn’t expect to actually see God face to face in there. He knows what the LORD told Moses, “...you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).

But David does want to be with the LORD. He wants to know the LORD. He wants to “gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him...” He wants to be close to God. He wants to know what He is like. He wants to ponder God’s glory. He wants to think about how God is His light and salvation and stronghold. And so much more!

And David doesn’t just want to do it a little bit and be done. He wants to linger. He wants to gaze, focus, ponder, and never stop! 

“...all the days of my life” Sound familiar? Sounds a lot like Psalm 23 to me. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6).

And of course, we know that that’s what heaven will be like! Like we learned about last week.

David’s one thing was that he wanted to know God. And I think that should be our “one thing” in 2026, too. 

David wanted to keep His focus on the Lord. And that’s where he got his confidence. You see that in verse 5?

“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD” (vv.5-6).

David expects to be rescued and to win not because of his superior wisdom or fighting skills, but because he belongs to the LORD.

David will be safe. Do you hear all the words that express his feelings of safety and security? He uses like lots of different words for a home. “Dwelling, shelter, tabernacle.” David expects to run home safe to the LORD. He is that “stronghold.” And if the LORD is your stronghold, you can’t lose!

David expects to worship with shouts of joy and sing songs like “Amazing Grace.”

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun

We’ve not less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.”

    -John Newton

And then the song...changes. All of sudden there’s a different kind of vibe to this song, a different mood. David has been so positive and confident and expectant, and then all of sudden, he’s crying out for mercy and help. Look at verse 7.

“Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.”

That sounds kind of different. I don’t know if something has changed in his circumstances? Or maybe in his heart. In his feelings. I know that I’ve gone from highs to lows, sometimes in a very short amount of time.

David does it while singing the same song. But, notice, his focus doesn’t change. He’s still focused on the LORD. He’s crying out to the LORD. And he has the same “one thing” that he’s aiming at, the same one thing that He’s seeking–the LORD’s face. Verse 8.

“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

Now, the Hebrew there is kind of difficult to translate. Some of your versions might have the LORD saying to David and others, “Seek my face.” That might be right. (The word for “seek” there is plural.) But either way, David answers back either to his heart or to the Lord’s call, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

"I will make You my top priority. I will make knowing You my top priority. You are my one thing."

Have you said this to God yet this year? Have you told the Lord that you are going to seek His face?

1 Chronicles 16:11, “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”

2 Chronicles 7:14, “...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Psalm 105, verse 3. “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”

Make it your overriding desire to know God. There is no greater thing.

Psalm 27 makes me think about Philippians chapter 3.

Where the Apostle Paul talks about how there is no greater thing than knowing our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul writes, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ [to seek His face!]–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8-14).

One thing: Seek His face in single-hearted devotion.

The thing that scares King David the most is not losing a battle, it’s losing sight of the face of Yahweh. Look at verse 9.

“Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.”

He’s pleading with God to not leave him alone. That’s the worst thing that could ever happen.  And he doesn’t think it will. He knows that God has saved in him the past, and he believes that he will receive in the future. He calls God, “my Savior,” which is call back to verse, “my salvation.” And then he says (v.10)...

“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.”

Now, I don’t think that means that his parents had abandoned him. I think it’s just theoretical. It could mean that by then they had died and left him, but the LORD never would. Either way, even if David lost the loving presence of his parents, he knows that, by God’s grace, he will never lose the LORD’s face.

So he will ever seek the LORD’s face.

Do you feel the confidence still thrumming through this part of the song? David knows he’s a sinner. And he knows that he can lose the blessing of the Lord by taking his eyes off Him. He’s done that before. But he also knows that God is full of amazing grace for sinners such as he is.

And he wants to know God more and more. “Your face, LORD, I will seek!” Look at verse 11.

“Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence” (vv.11-12).

King David asks the LORD to give him direction. “Teach me your way...lead me in a straight path.” That’s another great thing for us to pray for in 2026. That the LORD would give us guidance. But David doesn’t just ask for direction. He asks to be shown, “the LORD’s way.”

He wants to do things God’s way. He wants to know God’s will. Part of seeking God’s face is seeking God’s will. And we learn that by learning God’s Word.

Seeking the Lord’s face will change the direction of your life. Some people want to become Christians as long as it doesn’t change anything in their lives. As long as it doesn’t affect their relationships, their money, their habits, what they do with their time. “Show me your face, Lord, but don’t readjust my priorities.” That doesn’t work.

What changes do you know the Lord is calling you to make this year so that you are truly seeking after Him?

Do you dare to pray verse 11? “Teach me your way, O LORD?”

David knows that the LORD’s way is the only way out of his problems. He’s got enemies rising up left and right, “breathing out violence.” But he knows if the Lord makes his path straight, then he will slide right by them.

“Lead me in a straight path.” That’s basically the same words in Hebrew as Proverbs 3:6. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

And then, in verse 13, David’s confidence shines through again. Verse 13.

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (vv.13-14).

Psalm 27 is a song of glad-hearted confidence, single-hearted devotion, and whole-hearted assurance.

#2. WHOLE-HEARTED ASSURANCE.

David sounds quieter to me here at the end of his song that he was at the beginning. He’s not so declarative and boisterous. But he’s still believing. “I am still confident of this. I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Now, for David that probably meant rescue from his enemies and winning at warfare. He won’t die but will see the kingdom promises of God be fulfilled in David’s day. But we know that they were only partially fulfilled in David’s day. We know that there was still a Son of David that needed to come and be born in the City of David to bring all of those promises, all of that goodness to the fullest fulfillment forever and ever.

So we can pray, “We are still confident of this: We will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the ever-living.” For all who belong to Jesus Christ. I hope that’s all of us here today.

King David ends his song with an exhortation to wait. I’m not sure if he’s saying verse 14 to other people like you and me who are listening to his song. Or if he’s saying it to his own heart. Might be both.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

He will come through. 

Remind yourself of this as you walk into 2026. The LORD will come through. Put your hope in Him.

He is your light.

He is your salvation.

He is the stronghold of your life.

Of whom should you be afraid? No one.

Tell your heart “Seek His face!”

And wait for the LORD to appear.

“[B]e strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

Make that your one thing.

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"Don’t Be Anxious… Pray" by Ed Welch

These are anxious times. The unknown is scary whether anxiety is something you struggle with on a daily basis or only on occasions that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable for everyone.

Most of us have at least a little anxiety right now thanks to COVID-19. But, God’s word has a lot to say about feeling fearful and anxious. The following is an excerpt from A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Edward T. Welch, a small but powerful devotional book to remind us of the encouraging, beautiful words in Scripture to anxious people. 

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Don’t Be Anxious… Pray
By Ed Welch

This sounds too simple.

Do not be anxious about anything, but   in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

Don’t be anxious . . . pray.

But don’t brush this off as trite and simplistic. Every other way of dealing with fears and anxieties relies on some technology, medicine, and/or self-talk. But we all know—even children know—that our anxieties need the right person, and you know that person.

Have you tried this when you are anxious? Have you ever answered your anxious thoughts with Scripture-led prayer? It turns out that this seemingly simple and available-to-all teaching is one of the hidden and underused treasures of Scripture. It only sounds trite if you haven’t practiced it.

It is simple, but, like the simple instruction to “love one another,” it takes a lifetime to master.

-    We learn to speak honestly to the Lord about our fears and anxieties.
-    We grow in making simple requests, such as “help.”
-    We talk to God using his words in the Bible—merging our requests with what he says is true and what we know the Lord delights in giving us.
-    We learn to wrap all this together with thanksgiving, remembering what Jesus has done, what he is doing now, and what he will do when we see him face-to-face.

Those who consistently respond to anxiety with prayer are the sages in our midst. Too often we brush off this passage and look for something more complicated. Meanwhile, this wonderfully compact teaching stands waiting for us.

The last thirty years of my life have been spent shortening the time lag between the appearance of anxiety and the onset of prayer. That gap has gone from two days down to one, and then down to an hour. Occasionally, prayer comes even before my anxiety is full-blown. When that happens, I marvel at the power of God that equips me to do what is counterintuitive. Left to myself I spin out doomsday scenarios, hoping that my frenetic mind will stumble into some answers. But when I go to my heavenly Father and tell him my worries, when I remember his words to me (an ever-present help in trouble), and when I thank him for his care, the peace of Christ does begin to rule my heart and mind. It’s a miracle that still takes me by surprise.

For this passage to come alive to you, you have to know that God is near. Paul mentions that right before he tells the Philippians to replace anxiety with prayer (Philippians 4:5). Do you have an image for that yet? For the ancient Israelites, God was just on the other side of a curtain, residing in his Holy of Holies. Now, Immanuel—God-with-us—is in us and we are in him.

Are you persuaded that he wants you to talk to him? This is what happens in the best of relationships. We speak of what is heavy on our hearts, and the other person never minimizes our struggle. Although the Lord knows your thoughts and feelings before you do, he values you actually putting those thoughts and feelings into words and into prayer.

Welcome to the deep wisdom of God that is available to us through Jesus.

***

Excerpted from A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Ed Welch. © 2019 by New Growth Press.

Edward T. Welch, MDiv, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at CCEF. He has been counseling for more than thirty-five years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions.

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Want to read more? You can get a copy of A Small Book for the Anxious Heart on the New Growth Press website. They are still on a regular shipping schedule. It is available in print and eBook formats.

Visit https://newgrowthpress.com/resources-for-anxiety for more resources on anxiety, worry and fear.

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I am profoundly indebted to Paul Miller.

Paul wrote the best book I've ever read on the subject of prayer, A Praying Life, which has deeply affected how I think of and practice prayer.

And Paul also wrote the best short book I've ever read on the subject of love, Love Walked Among Us. I appreciated this book so much I wrote a small group discussion guide for it.

Paul was a good friend of one of my mentors, David Powlison, and their likemindedness shows in their respective work.

I think it's quite a feat to write two of the best books I've ever read on two different topics!

Paul has a new book out this month called The J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life which I just started reading yesterday. I can't wait to find out what I'll learn from Paul Miller next.

This beautifully made video from Crossway gives a window in Paul, his life, and his thoughts. It's worth the time to watch. The theme is how love is not efficient.



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You can guess, by the way, how encouraging it was to learn that Paul had read my book and added his endorsement.

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Stored Up Goodness: 2018 Prayer Retreat

What a privilege it is to be a pastor and to be trusted with the prayer requests of the flock!

Today is my annual prayer retreat where I try to get away and pray for every name in our church directory and lift up specific requests given me by people in our congregation.

So on my morning walk in Mr. Penn’s beautiful woods, before it got super hot, I read each card and lifted them up to the Lord, asking Him to be the answer to each of their heavy problems. I don’t know how the Lord might use my prayers this year, but I am trusting His wisdom, power, and love.

Thank you, Lanse Free Church, for giving me a front row seat to see our Lord work out His perfect plan for you.

“How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, 
which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.”
- Psalm 31:19, NIV84



***

[And if you wonder why I would tell you that I'm a prayer retreat (good reasons and bad), read this report from a few years back.]

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[Matt's Messages] “In Secret”

“In Secret”
Following Jesus - The Gospel of Matthew
May 13, 2018 :: Matthew 6:1-18 

We are still in the Gospel of Matthew, and we’re still in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  But today we are turning the corner from chapter 5 which had in it the Beatitudes and the “But I Tell You’s” into chapter 6.

Our King is telling us how He wants us to live in His kingdom.

He started us by telling us what kind of people He wants us to be. And if we live the good life that He lays out (no matter how upside-down it sounds to our ears), we will both flourish and bring glory to our Father in Heaven.

And then He told us that He wants us to live out a greater righteousness than the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. A greater righteousness.

A righteousness that surpassed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees.

And in chapter 5, He gave us 6 examples of what that would look like. Six examples of how the scribes and the Pharisees had misunderstood and misapplied the teaching of the Torah and what we should do instead.

Do you remember this?

Our Lord Jesus has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it and to give it the true Messianic meaning and application now that He has come.

And our Lord has shown us that this is greater righteousness comes from the inside out. It’s not just upside-down from what seems normal to us, it’s also inside-out.

From the heart.

Chapter 5 ended by Jesus saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And that we saw that that word “perfect” means “whole” or “complete.” It’s emphasizing not just perfection as in flawlessness but perfection as in wholeness. The same thing on the inside as on the outside.

Not just the outside but the inside. The whole person.

“Be [whole], therefore, as your heavenly Father is [whole].”

He’s the same on the inside as the outside.

So, it’s not good enough for our Lord Jesus that we not murder. He doesn’t want us to be sinfully angry.

It’s not good enough for our Lord that we keep from committing adultery. He wants us to not even lust.

It’s not good enough for our Lord that we keep our promises when we use His name. He wants us to be trustworthy and faithful from the inside out.

It’s not enough to just want justice for ourselves. He wants us to be generous even with those who don’t deserve it.

He even wants us to love our enemies!

It’s not enough to just love those who love us. We need to love those who hate us.

That’s what our King requires.

And now, He’s going to say even more about this greater righteousness.

Specifically, He’s going to tell us how to practice our righteousness or to do our acts of righteousness.

And by now we should know that He’s going to be driving towards our hearts.

It’s not enough to just do our acts of righteousness on the outside. King Jesus will require us to do our acts of righteousness from the inside to the outside.

Because He wants us to be whole.

This morning, we’re going to study verses 1 through 18. That’s a bigger chunk than we have been taking for the last several messages, but I think it helps to see that this section all hangs together.

In verse 1, Jesus introduces the problem and then in verses 2 through 18, He gives us three examples.

And they all follow the same 4-part structure to make the same major point. Remember how the Beatitudes all had a structure and all of the But I Tell You’s had a structure? Well, these three examples all follow the same 4-part structure, as well.

First, Jesus tell us what not to do which is to parade our acts of righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. That’s really important. It’s not that we can’t do acts of righteousness or acts of piety in front of others, but we aren’t allowed to do them for the purpose of human applause. It’s the heart of the thing.

Then second, Jesus tells us that if someone does go and do that, then they will have already received their reward. That’s it. No more.

Then third, Jesus will tell us how to do it instead. And basically, He uses these two words over and over again, “In Secret.”

Not so much that it isn’t public but that it is done for God and for God alone.

And then the fourth element that occurs in all three examples is a promise of the reward of God. And He says it in the same way each time. “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

And of course, there are some surprises and some twists and turns in there, too. Because Jesus always wants to keep our attention and to keep us focused on His coming Kingdom which is like nothing that we’ve ever seen or heard.

All three of these examples are the classic acts of piety that a good Jew would perform. All of the scribes and the Pharisees did these three things all of the time.

Jesus is not telling His disciples to stop doing any of these things. But He is saying that we should not do them like the Pharisees do. We must have a greater righteousness, one that comes from the inside-out.

And of course, everything He says here could be applied to any other acts of righteousness that we are called to do. Not just not these three. But definitely these three. Let’s look at the first one. V.1

“Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Do you see the pattern?

First, what not to do.

I almost titled this sermon, “How Not To Be A Christian.”

He assumes that His followers are going to giving to the needy. Everybody did in that culture. It’s a good thing to do. Not just to give to the church, but to specifically help people with needs.

The question isn’t whether or not to do it, but how to do it.

Jesus says don’t blow the trumpet when you do.

I don’t know if anybody actually blew a trumpet before they gave. I think that Jesus is just being funny. Because He knows that’s how some people do it.

They roll up and they “toot their own horn” as they give their gift.

“Hey, check me out! I’m giving my gift!”

TAADAA!

Jesus calls them “hypocrites” which was a word that originally was used for actors who put on outward show. They play-acted a character and projected certain feelings and attitudes that they didn’t necessarily have themselves.

“I am so generous!”

“Believe me! Just look at me. I am so generous.”

Jesus says, “Don’t do that.”

He says (part two) if you do, then (v.2) “they have received their reward in full.”

What’s that?

It’s the attention. It’s the praise of men, if they get any.

It’s the appearance of godliness.

That’s all of the reward that they get.

Then Jesus says what to do instead. That’s the third part. V.3 again.

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.”

Now, our hands don’t “know” anything. Jesus is using a figure of speech, isn’t He?

We say, “Don’t pat yourself on the back.”

Don’t get impressed by yourself and your generosity.

Don’t replay your gift over and over again in your mind.

Just do your giving and get on with it.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t keep a record of charitable giving for tax purposes or that you aren’t supposed to track giving in your budget so that you don’t know what you’ve done.

“I don’t know? My left hand spreadsheet doesn’t know what my right hand checkbook is doing!”

I don’t think so. I think He’s just using colorful language to say that you shouldn’t get impressed with your own generosity.

You not only keep it to yourself but you don’t dwell on it yourself.

I know people who know every cent that they’ve ever given, and they are pretty proud of it.

The fourth and last part is that promise. If you give in faith in secret, then you will be rewarded. Verse 4 again.

“Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

That’s an amazing statement.

First that we would see God as Father. We’re used to that, but really that’s new with Jesus. To see God as both divinely authoritative and relationally intimate is amazing.

That’s what we mean by “Father” right? Both authority and intimacy perfectly bound up together in a Person who has given you life.

We all have earthly Fathers who exhibit authority and intimacy and life-giving. Some of them have done it well and others poorly.

But we all know what a Father is supposed to be. And Jesus says that God is that. God is our Father perfectly.

Jesus calls God our Father ten times in these 18 verses!

And He says that our Father “sees what is done in secret.”

He knows what’s actually happened. He knows what the bank account actually said. He knows how big the gift actually was.

And He knows what was going on in our hearts.

“Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

And don’t miss that bit about reward.

We are supposed to live for the reward.

Sometimes we think that we shouldn’t care about rewards.

But our Father loves to give rewards, and we will enjoy those rewards, so we ought to be motivated by them!

I don’t know all of what those rewards are, but I know they’re good.

They won’t get in the way of our enjoyment of Jesus.

That’s where we have to be careful of rewards if we want them instead of Jesus.

But these are rewards that come from Jesus and help us to enjoy Jesus.

We want these rewards.

And who do they come to? They come to those who give in secret. Where only God knows what’s truly going on.

These rewards come to those practice their righteousness for God alone.

The second one is about prayer. And it follows the same fourfold pattern. V.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. [That’s what not to do.] I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. [They’ve been seen by men. That’s what they wanted. That’s what they got.] 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.”

Now, this is not saying that Christians should never pray in public. Jesus prayed in  public. His disciples all prayed in public. We’ve been praying in public today.

But He is looking at our hearts, isn’t He?

Don’t pray to be seen by men.

I’ll tell you, as a pastor that can be a real temptation to me. I want to impress you. I can pray, to my shame, for your applause. “Oh that was a good one, Pastor Matt!”

What is your heart in prayer?

That’s why Jesus says that we have to get alone and pray there. Where nobody knows what you’re praying or how you’re praying or how long you’re praying...except your heavenly Father!

Because that will show if you are real.

If there is no one to impress.

Do pray alone with God?

Or do you only pray here or in prayer meeting or at the dinner table or in front of your spouse or your girlfriend or boyfriend or only in front of your pastor?

Do you pray in secret?

Because what you are with God when you are alone is what you are with God.

It’s okay to pray in public. It’s okay to pray with people.

We’re supposed to pray with others!

But that needs to come from what is inside and not be a show.

I struggle with that.

But Jesus says that we need to keep it real.

Now, here in verse 7, Jesus expands on this point and goes in a little different direction. He gives another way not to pray and then tells us another way to pray. V.7

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

So on top of not praying ostentatiously for the attention of others, we’re also not supposed to pray mindlessly to try to get God’s attention either. Prayer is not magic. It doesn’t work more if you pray more. Prayer is not magical like figure out the right words to use as an incantation and then repeat them over and over again until you’ve talked God into something.

God will not be used.

Now, this doesn’t mean that we can’t pray long or hard or never repeat ourselves. Jesus prayed long. Jesus prayed hard. And Jesus repeated Himself.

But prayer is not magic and God is not a genie in a bottle. We don’t make God do things we want by rubbing His lamp and saying, “Abracadabra” over and over again.

Or any other prayer over and over again. No matter how good the prayer.

God already knows what we need before we ask. We aren’t filling Him in even as we ask. He wants us to ask! But He doesn’t want us to babble.

The Greek word for babble is “battalegeo.” And it’s like babble. It means like it sounds. Say to your neighbor, “babble, babble, babble.”

That’s not what our prayers should sound like.

God wants not our many words but our many hearts! V.9

“This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Does that sound familiar? I hope so.

We call that the Lord’s prayer. And it’s at the center of the Sermon on the Mount.

It’s a Kingdom Prayer.

It’s a Model Prayer. It’s not that we are supposed to pray these particular words over and over again. That’s exactly the opposite of what Jesus just said.

We are supposed to use it as a model for our prayers. “This, then, is how you should pray...”

And look at those first two words, “Our Father.”

God as Father, what a concept!

You know that’s only possible if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior. The only people who can pray this prayer and truly mean it are those whom God is their Father through faith in His Son.

And notice that it’s not just “My Father,” it’s “Our Father.” This is a model prayer for the Church, for all Christians together. See, we are supposed to pray with one another!

And the first half of the prayer is about God’s glory.

His name, His kingdom, His will.

How often we forget to pray for those things. But Jesus puts them first.

Holy and honored and reverenced be your name.
Your kingdom come. It’s not here yet in its fullness, but we want it.
Your will be done, fast and full like it’s done in heaven.

And the second half of the prayer is about our good. God’s glory and our good.

Give us what we need to today. Like manna in the wilderness.
Give us what we really need down deep, which is forgiveness.
Give us what we need to stay out of sin and snatched away from Satan.

Moms, let me give you a piece of counsel that probably most of you already do.

Pray this prayer for your children.

I’ve been doing that recently with my boys when I pray for them at night.

Most nights, Heather prays for Robin right before bed.

I pray for my boys right before bed.

I’ve begun praying this for them.

Our Father in heaven, may your name be holy in my boys’ lives. May your kingdom come in their lives. May they do your will like it’s done in heaven.

Please give them their daily bread. Please forgive their sin debts as they forgive those who sin against them. Please led them through and away from their temptations and deliver them from the evil one.

Moms, make that your prayer for your kids. And don’t stop until you die.

Jesus explains a little bit more about that forgiveness thing. Again, He’s keeping it real. V.14

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

That’s not a way of earning your forgiveness. That’s not how it works. That’s not what Jesus teaches elsewhere.

But it is the same thing Jesus teaches elsewhere. We’re going to come up to this kind of teachings again in chapter 18.

The point is that forgiven people are forgivers.

And if you are a forgiver then you aren’t a forgiven.

The two always go together.

So don’t go asking for forgiveness if you aren’t willing to forgive others.

That’s just putting on a show.

And Jesus wants us to be whole from the inside out.

So He gives one more. And it’s on the same lines. V.16

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting [Don’t be like that.]. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full [They got the attention.]. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face [look like normal so they can’t tell], so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Let me ask some diagnostic questions to apply this to our lives today.

1. AM I TRYING TO IMPRESS PEOPLE WITH MY RIGHTEOUSNESS?

If so, how? In what ways?

I think a lot of people want to live out their Christianity on social media.

But they just doing it for the “likes” and “shares.” Right?

Just doing it for the re-tweets and the “favorite” button.

Ask yourself am I doing this to get the applause of people?

Then that’s all you’re going to get.

There’s this thing on social media called “The HumbleBrag” have you heard of it?

It’s when you say something like, “I am so humbled to have gotten this award.”

And if you are, that’s fine to say. But ask yourself why you are saying it. Why are you telling people?

Are you just Faceboasting or are you truly giving the glory to God?

Am I trying to impress people with my righteousness?

#2. AM I LIVING OUT MY RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD ALONE?

Am I doing this in secret?

It’s okay to do it before others, too.

But is it real?

The only way you know it’s real is if you don’t get credit for it somewhere else.

And number three.

#3.WHAT CHANGES DO I NEED TO MAKE IN MY ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?

What changes do I need to make in my giving, my praying, my fasting and whatever else I do to live out my Christianity?

And if you can’t think of any changes you need to make, you’re doing it wrong.

How about with prayer in particular. Are using the model that Jesus gave us?

Are you praying for God’s glory and for your good?

Are you forgiving those who have sinned against you?

What changes do you need to make?

Because Jesus wants us to be perfect, to be whole, to be the same on the inside as on outside.

And that requires change. That requires repentance.

To be perfect means to be changed from the inside-out and to be made new.

To live out a greater righteousness than the scribes and the Pharisees.

A real righteousness that is the same, not just in public, but in secret.

And when it is...your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.


***

Previous Messages in This Series:

01. The Genealogy of Jesus
02. The Birth of Jesus Christ
03. The Search for Jesus Christ
04. The Baptism of Jesus
05. The Temptation of Jesus
06. Following Jesus
07. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
08. The Good Life (Part One)
09. The Good Life (Part Two)
10. You Are The...
11. Jesus and the First 2/3 of the Bible
12. But I Tell You
13. But I Tell You (2)

14. But I Tell You (3)

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Gossip Girls

Cedarville Comedy with a funny/notfunny sketch on how gossip often slips and falls into our prayer requests.

[For a not funny alternative: see this article.]

Read More

[Matt's Messages] "The Church That Prays Together"

“The Church That Prays Together”
Gospel Roots (1892-2017)
April 23, 2017 :: Colossians 4:2

This is the fourth message in our ongoing “Gospel Roots” sermon series where we are revisiting and recommitting to some of our foundational values that have shaped and defined us as a church family throughout the years.

The first message was the gospel itself: Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. The Person and Work of Christ is what saves us, draws us together, and provides our very purpose for existence as a church.

The second message was about something we’ve done every week together for the last 125 years–we’ve sung together. We sing the gospel. We don’t just say it, we sing it, to God in thanksgiving and to each other to remind ourselves of Jesus Christ and His Crucified.

The third message was about sharing that gospel with lost people. Not just singing about it, but sharing it. Our God is conducting a massive search and rescue mission, and for 125 years, we have been a part of His search and rescue team, reaching lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today, I want to focus on another thing that our church has done over and over again  for 125 years. And it’s something that we’ve done, not just on Sunday mornings or at special outreaches, but many more times during the week. And that is to pray together.

I took my title for today from that old line about the family, “The family that prays together, stays together.”

Well, if that proverb is generally true then it equally applies to church families. “The Church Family that Prays Together, Stays Together.”

And this church family has been praying together for one hundred and twenty-five years. This church has been built on and sustained by prayer.

Look with me at Colossians chapter 4, verse 2.

These are Paul’s instructions “to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse...” (Col 1:2).

Here’s one of the key things that Paul says this church really ought to do. Ready?

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

#1. DEVOTE OURSELVES TO PRAYER.

I’m so thankful to be the pastor of a praying church.

Lanse Free Church has earned a reputation as a church family that prays.

This is not something for which I take any credit whatsoever. I try to encourage it and promote it and keep it going, but I inherited a church family that was already living out Colossians 4:2 long before I ever came along.

I’m trying to use artifacts from our church history in each of these Gospel Roots messages.

It’s harder to find artifacts that point to prayer over the last 125 years.

Not because this church hasn’t prayed, but praying isn’t something you normally take pictures of!

Prayer is generally a quiet thing. Even when it’s in full swing, it can go unnoticed. It doesn’t call attention to itself.

But prayer is a powerful thing whether it’s noticed or not.

Yesterday, I made a list of this church’s current prayer ministries.

Can you name them?

There’s the Prayer Meeting, of course. Wednesday nights at 7pm. I asked Vera yesterday when they started that ministry. And she said that she’s been attending this church for about 76 years and they had those prayer meetings before she started coming. So perhaps for the whole 125 years! That’s a lot of prayer meetings!

For a while there, we had them on Tuesday nights so that people could go to Prayer Meeting one night and serve in Kids for the Christ on Wednesdays. But most of the time, it’s been a Wednesday night ministry.

Sometimes we have a short Bible study, but we always take time to pray.

What else? What other prayer ministries do we have?

A few years ago, Wally Kephart started the Harvest Prayer Time which is a special prayer meeting early on Saturday mornings on the last Saturday of the month where we pray for lost people. That’s putting together our last message and this message.

And Paul does that, too. Look at verse 3. “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

That’s what we are praying for at our Harvest Prayer Time. The next one is this Saturday at 7am in the Prayer Room.

Yes, and we have a Prayer Room! It’s the first door on your left down the hallway to your left as you go out of the auditorium. We have a room in this building devoted to being devoted to prayer!

There are people in our community who have dropped by the church in the middle of the week just to use the Prayer Room.

That’s where we have Prayer Meeting each Wednesday.

And there are people in the Prayer Room every single Sunday morning after church.

You see that in your bulletin each week, right? And often I mention it at the end of the service. ...

Could I have the couples who serve in the Prayer Room stand right now?

I know you don’t want to. That’s what I mean by prayer is a quiet thing that doesn’t draw attention to itself.

Thank you for serving in the Prayer Room each Sunday. Confidentially praying with anybody about anything. I know that a number of you have gone in there for prayer on Sundays. And I hope for many more.

What other prayer ministries do we have? We’re just getting started.

The prayer chain, right?

For many years it was just a phone chain. You called Ruth Murray and she called two people who called two people, and we got the word out.

And then a number of years ago, Marilynn Kristofits volunteered to create an email prayer chain. This was like 16, 17 years ago. Long long before she became our administrative assistant in the church office, Marilynn has been volunteering to collect your prayer requests and get them out to the rest of the church.

So that we can devote ourselves to prayer.

What else? The blue prayer cards in the pew racks. The prayer guide here in your bulletin.

Here’s an artifact for you. This is the church bulletin for April 19, 1998.

And on the inside it says, “Welcome, Matt and Heather Mitchell.”

That was 19 years ago this last week when we were here to candidate.

It’s interesting how similar it is to our bulletins today.

Guess who was going to do nursery the next Sunday?  Ruth Murray.

Guess who was going to do Children’s Church? Darla Kyler.

Guess what else is in the bulletin?

Well, the church is now accepting bids for mowing the cemetery. There is an Open House at Miracle Mountain Ranch.

And there is a call for prayer requests. It says, “There is a Prayer Request Box on the table in the foyer. Anyone who has a prayer item that you would like to have the Wednesday evening prayer group pray for, please put your request in the box.”

And there’s a list of “prayer of concerns” including an upcoming Ladies’ Retreat and this one, “Pray for the Mitchell’s as they spend time with us and for a safe trip home.”  Heather and me, long before Robin. Thank you for praying!

Here’s another artifact from 19 years ago. It’s a letter from Donna Weatherly to me with her perspective on the church that I was praying about coming to pastor. Donna was on the search committee for a new pastor. She writes, “The past few years there has been an increasing humility and unity manifested by greater dependence on the Lord in prayer. Seeing a dependence on prayer is probably the most encouraging thing to me. We all fail in this area–but there is no question that we see this as vital for any life and growth in our church.”

That was one of the things that drew us to come here and be your pastor.

Remember this book? It had swept through our church around that same time. Especially with it’s workbook. Experiencing God taught our church family to devote ourselves to prayer and to look for God at work in our lives.

Here’s another place we pray. We pray right here. Every Sunday.

Opening prayer, closing prayer, prayer before the sermon, prayer after the message, prayer with the offering, worship in prayer.

We actually have the “guys with mics” most Sundays who go around the room collecting your prayer requests.

You know, I’ve never been a part of another church that does that.

I’ve been at churches that have a pastoral prayer where the pastor prays through a list of things that have been turned in before. But taking these prayer requests and praises on a Sunday morning “from the floor” is pretty unique in my limited experience.

I’ve been in Sunday evening services like that. And at small church plants like that.

Every Sunday is a prayer meeting here!

And then there are special times of prayer.

Back to School Sunday–when we pray for the students, teachers, and administration.

Baby dedications, praying for our graduates.

Commissionings, when we pray for missions teams or when someone moves away or heads into military service, and we’re sending them off with prayer.

Here’s a picture of people praying here at Lanse Free Church. This one hangs in my office. It’s pretty fuzzy, but I’m glad it exists. It’s the prayer for me at my installation as your pastor, July 26, 1998.  I’m on my knees, and Heather is holding my hand. And Alan Fisch, Charlie Weaver, Wally Kephart, Superintendent Leroy Glover, guest speaker Steve Kemp, and my friend Blair Murray have their hands on me and they are all praying for me as I take up the weighty responsibility of being your shepherd.

And that includes me praying for you.

These are a set of prayer cards from one of my recent Pastoral Prayer Retreats.

You tell me what you need prayed for, and I take these on a long walk and lift up each request to the Lord.

I know that I have a lot to learn about praying for my flock.

But I’ve come a long way.

If you have asked me to pray for something, and then I forgot to do it, I’m sorry.

I know that I’ve bungled some prayer requests in the past. I’ve forgotten them or gotten the details wrong or passed them on at the wrong time.

I think I’ve gotten a lot better at it, but it’s a learning process. Thank you for your patience with me.

One thing we learned a number of years ago was “10 Second Prayers.”  Do you remember that?

In July of 2004, Bob Bakke came from the EFCA national office and did a seminar with us on “Becoming a Praying Church.”

And one of the biggest things I took away from that seminar was that prayer can be very short and very simple. Just take 10 seconds RIGHT NOW and pray about that problem, about that need.

I learned to say, “Can we pray about that right now?”

I love to pray with you as your go out the door on Sunday mornings.

And you don’t have to pray with me for 10 seconds. Anybody can do that.

Over the back of the pew. In the foyer. On the Ark Park.

In the parking lot.

I wonder how many prayers have been offered up in that parking lot as people go out to their cars, maybe after a meeting.

There’s a lot of prayer that goes on in our ministry teams and committees.

Your elders have been praying through the list of families that attend the church for the last two years. We take copious amount of time at every elders’ meeting to pray for you by name.

And I know that the Missions Ministry Team prays, the Deaconesses pray, the Facilities Team prays, and so on and so on.

Our Link Groups pray. I think we pray at our Link Group on some Sunday nights as much as or more than we do at Prayer Meeting on Wednesdays.

The Youth Boys pray on Wednesday nights. They take requests and they do the praying. I’m sure that happens in Kids for Christ and ABC Kids, too.

This is a prayer saturated church.

We devote ourselves to prayer.

I’m sure that I haven’t listed them all.

The Pastoral Prayer Team. Where I send you my needs and you pray for me.

I’m so humbled to know that some of you pray for me every single day.

Bea Johnson used to pray for me every single day.
Blair Murray prayed for me every single day.

I know that a number of you pray for me every day and especially on Saturdays when I’m writing these messages. Thank you! Thank you!

As you can tell, this devoting ourselves to prayer can look different at different times.

125 years ago, they didn’t have the email prayer chain coming to their phones.

Neither did the Colossian church. But they still devoted themselves to prayer.

That word “devoted” in verse 2 is a very strong word.

It's a word that was used for people who joined the military and DEVOTED themselves to the service. It was a word that was used of a boat that was ALWAYS at the ready for someone to use. It’s a discipline word. Disciplined prayer.

Constant. Steadfast. Faithful. Staunch. Devoted prayer.

Praying and not giving up. Like Zeke Pipher talked about a month ago.

Not just a casual attachment to prayer but a devotion to prayer.

That’s not easy to do. Prayer can be hard work. It takes effort and commitment.

Especially in our distracting world. I don’t know about you, but I have trouble with focus when I’m praying.

The best book I’ve ever read on the subject of prayer is by Paul Miller. Our Link Group studied it together a few years ago.

It’s called, A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. Life-changing for me. I totally recommend it.

Verse 2 is a call to commitment.

“Devote yourselves to prayer.”

That’s what the early church did. This same word is used of the apostles in Acts 1:14 and 6:4 and the church as a whole in Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” [See also Romans 12:12!]

And it’s what churches are supposed to do today.

We are supposed to devote ourselves to prayer.

What are we supposed to pray for?

Well, anything and everything, I think. Missionaries, ministries, other churches.

But especially for each other.

Look down at verse 12. I think it’s a model for us.

Paul sends the greetings of his friend Epaphras who was probably from Colosse himself. V.12

“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

I love that. I absolutely love that.

How many of you were High School wrestlers? Did that require any energy? Was that just a walk in the park? Or was that hard work? Did that take devotion?

Epaphras was a Prayer Wrestler. V.13 calls it “hard work.”

We talk about prayer warriors, but Epaphras was a Prayer Wrestler.

And who did he pray for?  He prayed for the rest of the church.

And I’m sure he prayed for their health, success, safety, decision-making, and relationships. But he also focused on their hearts. V.12 again.

“He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

Are we praying that for each other?

Ephesians 6:18, “[P]ray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

God is calling us to become Prayer Wrestlers for the body of Christ.

How are you and I doing at being devoted to prayer?

I’ve listed what we’ve done in the past, but we never want to live in the past.

We are thankful for the past but we live in the present.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

What do you need to do to be devoted to prayer?

What do you need to do to kick it up a notch?

I know some of what I need to do. What do you need to do?

What’s your plan?

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

#2. BEING WATCHFUL.

What’s that mean “being watchful?”

I used to think it meant, look for answers to your prayers.

And that could be right.

Be on the lookout, be watchful for answered prayers.

Especially if your prayers are for open doors to share the gospel. Because if they came along, you need to snatch them up.

But this word “watchful” is often used in two other ways in your New Testament.

One is being watchful or vigilant against temptation.

Like when Jesus said to the disciples, “"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

So as we pray, we are not just diligent but vigilant.

That very well could be.

The other way that “watchful” is used is watching for the return of Christ.

That’s another historical value of this church–believing in and living in light of the return of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps this is a call to pray as part of being watchful for Christ’s return.

Which is a reminder that time is short, so we better stay busy praying.

Don’t get too comfortable and forget to pray.

What does Paul say in Philippians 4 “The Lord is near. [Then what, so what?] Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (vv.5b-7).

Watch and pray.
Pray and watch.
Watch and pray.

#3. BEING THANKFUL.

This one is more obvious. We should always be thankful as we pray.

Because God is always answering our prayers!

Not always how we’d like Him to or when we’d like Him to, but always perfectly and on time.

God loves to answer our prayers.

This October, we’re going to give everybody a chance to share some favorite stories  of God’s work at and through Lanse Free Church.

And if I were a betting man, I would bet that a lot of those stories will be stories of answered prayer.

God has been so faithful to us.

He loves to answer our prayers.

He always has, and He always will.

Here’s one last artifact.

This is a post office receipt dated February 14, 1998.

I’ve told this story before, but it’s good one.

This was the receipt for the package of materials I sent to Wallace Kephart, Morrisdale PA 16848. And I sent it Express Mail.

Do you know the difference between Priority Mail and Express Mail?

The difference is like $10!

I paid $15 to send it.

The funny part of the story is that Wally had told me that he was going away in February and to not worry about sending my resume, doctrinal statement, cassette tape with a sample sermon and so on, all that fast. Because it might not get there before he left.

So, I was at the Post Office to mail this. And Heather was in Iowa visiting a friend.

And she felt the Lord prompting her to pray that I would buy the right amount of postage.

She has never prayed for postage before and never prayed about postage since.

But that day she did.

And when I was at the Post Office counter in Zion, Illinois, the lady behind the desk asked, “Did you want to send it Priority or Express?”

And as a broke seminary student, I should have said, “Priority,” but I said, “Express.”

And if I remember the story right, the package got to Wally on a Sunday afternoon. Does anybody else get mail on a Sunday afternoon?

And he made copies of it and passed it out to the search committee and then went on vacation for two weeks.

For those two weeks, my packet of information was the only information that the search committee had to look at for any of the candidates.

So if you’re looking for someone to blame, blame Heather’s prayer life!

Of course, the Lord could have used anything and redirected anything for His own purposes.

But He loves to answer prayer.

And you all prayed for me. And we prayed for you.

And here we are today.

Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!

We are thankful.

And we will stay thankful.
And we will stay watchful.
And we will devote ourselves to prayer.

Let’s do it again.

***

Previous Messages in This Series:

01. Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
02. Sing!
03. Lost and Found

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[Matt's Messages] "Prayer at Work"

“Prayer At Work”

Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 1, 2015 :: James 5:13-18

Our current sermon series is about work, careers, labor. What people do all day.

Do you remember this Richard Scary book?  I grew up with this one and our kids are, too:  What Do People Do All Day?

Great question! What we’ve been learning together is that God cares deeply about what people do all day. Not just what they do on Sundays at church.

But all day every day.

And that’s true about everybody, not just pastors and missionaries.

This book begins like this: “Everyone is a worker: Farmer Alfalfa, Blacksmith Fox, Stitches the tailor, Grocer Cat, Mommy, and Huckle.”

Even little Huckle is a worker!

And what we’ve learned these last two months is that God cares deeply about our work and that our work is worship. Richard Scary may not have known that, but we do. As Christians, our work is a key facet of our discipleship, our following of Jesus Christ.

Whether we are a farmer, a blacksmith, a tailor, a grocer, a mom, or work in the IT department, we are working for the Lord. Not just for our employers. But first and foremost, “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

And we’ve been learning a lot about what that means over the last two months.

Today, I want to talk about “Prayer at Work.”

Not working at our prayer, not getting better at our personal prayer lives so much.

But the role of prayer in our work.

Should we pray about our work?

I think that’s a bit of a no-brainer, for Christians, isn’t it?

Of course we should pray for our work. Why wouldn’t we?

We know that we should be prayerful people praying about every facet of our lives, especially those things we do all day.

In the very next verse after our Hide the Word passage in Colossians 3 (after a sentence about masters providing for their servants what is right and fair) it says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Followers of Christ are to devote themselves to prayer; and prayer for and on the job.

And yet, I think that we often neglect to pray for our work.

I think we neglect that prayer sometimes because we don’t think about our work as spiritual. Last week, we reminded ourselves that our callings, whatever they are are spiritual callings.

If you are a second grader named Huckle, you are called to be a student, and that is a spiritual thing to do.

If you are “Farmer Alfalfa” or “Stitches the Tailor,” you are called to that vocation and that is a spiritual thing for you to do.

So it calls for prayer. Our callings call for prayer.

And here’s one of the most encouraging things about prayer.

Prayer is powerful!

We should pray for our work because prayer is powerful.

And one the best places to see that is James chapter 5, verses 13 through 18.

We should pray for our work because prayer is powerful.

Did you catch all of the phrases about the dynamic power of prayer in this passage?

I tried to emphasize them as I read it to you.  The most obvious is the famous verse 16 when it says, “The prayer of a righteous man is POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE.”  Powerful and effective.  It accomplishes things. In King James language, it “availeth much.”  Prayer works.  Prayer gets things done!

We should pray for our work just because God says to.

But one of the reasons that God says to is because God loves to use the prayers of His people to accomplish things in His world. Prayer is powerful.

Three points about that this morning.

#1.  PRAYER IS POWERFUL WHEN WORK IS GOOD AND WHEN WORK IS BAD.

When is a good time to pray for your work?

Did you notice that James thinks that anytime is a good time to pray?  Look at verse 13 again.

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Trouble-times, happy-times, and sick-times. That about covers it all, doesn’t it?

Anytime is a good time to pray.

When things are terrible.
When things are going well.
When you have to take a sick day.

Or like I did this Summer when you have to take medical leave.

Trouble, Happiness, and Sickness.

We’ve all experienced each of them to one degree or another.

And prayer is appropriate in each situation. Prayer is the right thing to do.  Prayer is powerful when work is good and when work is bad.

How are things going at work for you right now? Is work good or bad, for you at this moment?

Prayer is appropriate whether things are good or things are rotten.

Are you in trouble?  Literally verse 13 says, “Is any one of you suffering?”

Chances are a number of us are experiencing suffering right now at work. Work, because of the Fall can be very difficult, very hard and feel meaningless.

It’s a normal part of the Christian life to suffer.  James told his readers in chapter 1 to consider it PURE JOY when we face trials of many kinds.

But here we find out that joy is not the only response called for.  We are also called upon to pray when trouble comes.  To pray [yes] that God would take the trouble away and lift it off of our shoulders. To pray that the would heat die down. AND (more importantly) to pray that while the trouble is here, God would give us the spiritual strength to grow THROUGH that trouble and be faithful to Him IN that trouble.

In his excellent little book, A Man’s Guide to Work: 12 Ways to Honor God on the Job
by Patrick Morely has a great chapter on prayer at work.  And he lists 3 ways that we don’t normally pray for our work.

It’s good to pray for our co-worker’s salvation.

But do we pray for our problems at work to be solved?

Do we ask God’s aid in our business?

Morley has 3 sections where he shows how biblical it is to pray for”

-The success of a specific idea.
- The success of a specific task.
- The success against a specific threat.

Are you in trouble? Pray.  Prayer is powerful.

Are you happy? Are you cheerful? Are things going your way right now?  Did you close the big deal? Did you make your goal? Did you get through that problem?  Good times do come at work.  What should you do then?  James says (v.13) “Let him sing songs of praise.”  Those are prayers, too.

You know, those are the times when I am the most tempted to forget to pray.

When trouble comes, that’s one thing. I want out. I need help.

But when happiness comes along [what do we do?], we’re too busy enjoying it to offer prayer and thanksgiving and songs of praise. We forget.

That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to ask for testimonies of God in our work during this sermon series. I have lined up 3, Dan Kerlin already gave his.  We have another coming up in a few weeks.

But today it was going to be Blair who gave a testimony.

Because his story was one about answered prayer on the job.

I won’t tell it very well. I wish he was here to tell it for us.

But one day when he was a supervisor at Shawville Station in the winter they had some big mechanical problem and something bad was going to overheat and meltdown or explode or something like that.

And Blair was in charge and also didn’t know exactly what to do.

So he prayed right there on the spot.

And there was this pipe thingy (I told you I wouldn’t tell the story very well) that they cleared off of snow, and he stuck his hand right in it and right there brought up this thingamajig that was clogging up this doohickey.

And it solved the problem! The crisis was averted through God’s answer to prayer.

And Blair wanted you us all to know that God answers prayer. That’s one of the reasons why he sang (v.13) “songs of praise.”

James believed that prayer was “the thing to do” in every situation that we get ourselves into.  He believed that prayer was powerful when the trouble comes and when we are happy.

Most of us are a somewhere in between. We’ve got a little rain at work and a little sunshine.  What should we do?  We should pray.  Prayer is powerful in the good times and the bad times.

Now, v.14 starts to talk about another kind of real life. Something we never want, but we can all expect in this life.

Sickness.

And the thing to do when sick is to pray and ask for prayer.  V.14

“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

I learned this Summer how sickness can get in the way of work.

Now, this verse is the only verse in the Bible that talks about this “elders and oil” thing.  So, there have been a lot of interpretations of what this means over the years.  Because it’s not perfectly clear.

The oil might be one of (basically) two things: a medicine (or something that stands for medicine) because oil was used medicinally in the ancient world (so we should also be using medicine with our prayers) OR an outward sign (like communion or baptism) of an inner reality–the reality of being set apart in prayer (sanctified to God in prayer).

And I tend to lean a little towards the second one–that it’s an outward symbol of prayer marking this person off as one whom we are asking God to heal in His holiness.

But either way, the emphasis here is not on the oil itself but on the praying in the name of the Lord.  V.15

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.”

Notice that!  The prayer offered in faith makes the sick person well.  Not the oil.  So, if you call the elders and ask us to pray for you in this way in your sickness, DO NOT think that the oil has supernatural healing properties.

Prayer has supernatural healing properties when God answers it.

But the oil is either medicine or a symbol–an aid to prayer–not healing in and of itself.

The picture here is someone who is laid up and can’t get to church.  So they call the elders.  Why the elders?  Probably because they represent the whole church. They are to be spiritually mature Christians who are growing discipleship and trying to leading others there.  And they are supposed to have faith.

And they arrive on the scene, and they pray OVER him. Notice that word OVER.  Interestingly, this is the only time this word “over” is used with the word “pray” in the Bible. And I think the idea here is that the sick person is flat on their back and the elders gather around, anoint and pray in the name of the Lord.

Some of you came and visited me in the hospital in July and prayed like that over my hospital bed.

“In the name of the Lord;” more than just tacking on “IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY AMEN” onto the end of the prayer. It means praying in the authority of Jesus. It means praying by the merit of Jesus. It means praying according to the reputation of Jesus.

And...it means praying for the WILL OF JESUS. In other words, if the Lord decides in His wisdom to say NO, that will be okay with these believers, too. Because at some point, He will say NO. All of us will taste death unless we are in the generation alive when Jesus returns.

So, we pray in the NAME OF THE LORD.  Trusting that the LORD can raise this sick person to life if He thinks that is best. “Not my will, but yours be done.”

And prayer is powerful...v.15

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Prayer is powerful! When God says, “Yes!” then the sick person is (literally) “saved.” The Lord will raise him up. It’s effective.

Now, you’ve noticed something in v.15.  James has connected sickness with sin.

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

We don’t tend to think this way, but sometimes our sicknesses can be a result of our sin. Notice I said SOMETIMES!  James says, “IF he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Don’t assume that someone is sick because they are sinning. Often our sickness is just a part of living in a fallen world. But there are cases in the Bible that show us that our sicknesses may have a spiritual root to them. And therefore, part of the remedy for them, is not just prayer but repentant prayer.  Confession.

Let me give you #2.

#2.  PRAYER IS POWERFUL WHEN RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE PRAY.

Prayer is especially powerful when it is coupled with righteousness.  Right living.

When sin goes out the window, power comes into the prayer life.

However, when sin is present, prayer lacks power.

This is a biblical concept.

Psalm 66:18, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened...”

1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

When there is righteousness, there is power and effectiveness in prayer.

When there is ongoing unconfessed sin, there is weakness and ineffectiveness in prayer.  V.16

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed [both physically, I think, and spiritually]. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Prayer is Powerful When Righteous People Pray.

Can you see how that might change your prayers for your work?

So, how do you get righteous? And how do you know if you are righteous enough?

Well, what did we learn in the book of Romans about justification?

Justification, righteousification is by faith alone.

You get righteous by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and no other way.

That’s what Martin Luther rediscovered 498 years ago yesterday. Yesterday was the 498th anniversary of when Martin Luther nailed up his 95 theses to get the Protestant Reformation underway.

He was redisovering the gospel of grace.

Here’s the good news!

Your own righteous, your own attempt at living a right life and doing the right thing things is actually worthless before God.  It is a self-righteousness that you have worked up. And it doesn’t cut the mustard.

The righteousness that we need has been provided by the bloody death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.  My sin on Him, His righteousness on me. That’s the deal when we come by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for saving.

That’s the righteousness you need.

And you need, not only positional righteousness, but practical righteousness.  To grow in faith and obedience to Christ.  To become what you are.  To become (by faith) what you are (by faith).  To walk it out.

To live out a righteous life by faith in Jesus Christ.

We will not be perfect in this life.  But we are to strive by faith towards perfection.

And that’s how much righteousness is needed for powerful effectiveness in prayer–striving towards righteousness is what is needed.  Stumbling.  Walking. Running towards right living by faith in Christ.  Confessing sin when it happens.   Repenting of heart idolatry and turning towards righteous acts of love.

Confessing your sins to another brother or sister.  Maybe a brother or sister that you’ve sinned against. Maybe just someone safe that you can talk to and confess to so that it really seems real that you are owning your sin.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

What is hindering your prayer life today?

What sin is standing in the way of powerful and effective answers?

Confess it to the one you’ve sinned against today. Turn from it.
Confess it to God today.  Turn from it.
Confess it to a safe person today so that they can pray for you, and you be healed.

And...so that your prayers can be powerful and effective.

Turn from it. Turn from it.

Do you want more positive answers to your prayers at work?

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

And one more point from verses 17 and 18.

#3. PRAYER IS POWERFUL WHEN REGULAR PEOPLE PRAY.

Prayer is not just powerful when righteous people pray, but when regular people pray.

Regular people, like...Elijah.  V.17

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

Now, Elijah’s job was to be a prophet. And he was a good one. And he saw lots of miracles happen in his ministry.

And here’s one. He prayed, and the rain stopped in Israel for 3.5 years. And he prayed again, and God gave rain again.

That’s quite a miracle.

And it must have taken quite a guy to pull it off!  Right?

James so, “No.” James says, in fact, “Elijah was man just like us.”

Elijah was a regular joe when it came to his humanity.

It wasn’t because Elijah was so great that the miracles happened, it was because God was so great that the miracles happened!

Prayer is powerful. It is a mighty weapon.  It heals the sick. It holds back the rain when God wants it to!

Prayer is powerful weapon. But God has placed it in the hands of regular people–like you and me.

You don’t have to be a spiritual giant to pray. All of us can do it.

You don’t have to be Billy Graham or Henry Blackaby or the Apostle Paul to expect powerful answers to prayer.

You just have to be connected to an Almighty God!

Prayer Is Powerful When Regular People Pray!

On the job.

Don’t wait until you have arrived and are a super-saint to pray for your work. It won’t ever happen.

Elijah was just like you. And God did big things through him.

God can do big things through your prayers as well, if you will trust them to Him.

Are you praying for your work?

Whether it’s good or bad or somewhere in between?

Are you regularly praying for the things going on at your workplace?

You should. God is calling you to pray for your work.

Now, some of you are saying in your minds, “We are not allowed to pray at our work.”

Prayer meetings are forbidden and if we pray on the 50 yard line we might lose our job.

Some of us should pray publicly anyway. That’s what Daniel did. And he opened the windows to face Jerusalem so that all could see that he did.

But Nehemiah didn’t. Nehemiah prayed on the job and nobody knew about it or made a fuss.

Let’s turn there real quickly as we close up this message today.

Turn to Nehemiah chapter 2. Pew Bible page #472.

Nehemiah was the Jewish cupbearer to the king of Persia. A major position in the government. And he was upset that the walls of Jerusalem his beloved homeland were broken down.

If you read chapter 1, you see what Nehemiah prayed on his own time when he wasn’t on the job. He prayed for success for a big work project!

But in chapter 2, he’s on the job.  Look at that. Verse 1.

“In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’ [Not how you’re supposed to be before the king.] I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’ The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ [Watch this!] Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it’” (vv.1-5).

Now, we see in the next few verses that God answered this prayer.

He gave him this work to do and as the chapters unfold He answers more prayer and gives them success in their work.

But my question is, how did Nehemiah pull off the prayer in verse 5?

Did he say, “Excuse me, King, I have to go over here and fold my hands and get on my knees, I’ll be right back.”

I don’t think so. He just prayed right there in the moment in the quietness of his heart.

I think that’s what most of our prayers at work will be like.

Just quick little signal flare prayers, “Help, Lord!”

Now, there will be times and places when you gather a prayer group at work. Sure do that if you can.

But there will be plenty of other times when you just simply offer a Nehemiah 2 prayer.

Each week of this series, I’ve been having a different group stand for us to recognize.

Today, I want us to celebrate everybody involved in education and child care.

If you are a teacher, a teacher’s aide, a babysitter, a daycare worker, a school administrator, a TSS, a wrap-around, a learning support person, a guidance counselor, a computer lab person, or you provide office support for a school, whatever, I want to ask you to stand if you are involved in education and child care.

Thank you!

We just prayed for you all a couple of months ago on Back-2-School Sunday.

But shouldn’t just do that once a year.

You have such an important job if you care for little ones and then students of all ages.

And you need to be prayerful people.

I’ll be honest, I’m glad that our schools no longer have organized prayer by the teachers and staff and administration.

That might surprise you.  But because we live in a pluralistic society where not all of the teachers, staff, and administration of our public schools are evangelical Christians, I’m glad that they do not lead our students in whatever prayers they might think are appropriate.

If we have a Muslim teacher or Buddhist teacher or atheistic teacher, in our schools, which in our First Amendment America is perfectly legitimate, I wouldn’t want them leading our students in their formal prayers.

So, I’m glad that there are no formal organized prayers by the school.

But I’m also glad that our schools: West Branch, Philipsburg, and Clearfield especially are full of people like you who are praying every day when you are there.

There is prayer in our schools. The Christians who are there should be doing it.

I saw it in September at the See You at the Pole, a number of students but also staff showed up to pray for West Branch.

That’s awesome.

And I expect God to answers those prayers in big ways.

We should pray for our work because God has made prayer powerful.

It’s powerful when work is good and when work is bad. And everywhere in between.

Prayer is powerful when righteous people pray. So we need to trust in Jesus for the gift of His righteousness and then we need to regularly repent of our sins and walk daily in righteous so that God can use our purified prayers.

And prayer is powerful when regular people like you and me pray.

Elijah was just like us.

We have different jobs but the same God.

And He is calling us to pray for and at our work.

Let’s do it right now.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work

08. Prayer at Work

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