Grace World Outreach Church
Pastor Daniel K Norris
ASKING FOR A FRIEND
Week One: How Do You Make This Thing Work?
Ask A Question: Text “AskAnything” to 97000 or visit Post Service Q&A at http://www.instagram.com/danielknorris/
How Do You Make This Thing Work? Great question and much like a question the disciples asked Jesus.
Luke 11:1–4 (ESV) Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Jesus said, PAY ATTENTION TO THE WAY I PRAY, NOT JUST THE WORDS I PRAY
THE WAY OF JESUS
1. HE BEGAN WITH HIS RELATIONSHIP
“When you pray, say: “Father…” Luke 11:2 (ESV).
* He Didn’t start with Adonai, He started with Abba
* God is both PRESENT and PERSONAL at all times
* Abba - Greek transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning ‘father’): (titles for God, literally ‘father’) one who combines aspects of supernatural authority and care for his people—‘Father.’
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A. W. Tozer
Question: “Why do we pray to Jesus. He himself shows us how to pray in the Lord's prayer. Nowhere have I seen where he instructs to pray to him. He instructs to pray to the Father in His name.”
“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”John 14:13-14
2. JESUS LED WITH WORSHIP
“Father, hallowed be your name” Luke 11:2 (ESV).
How do you begin your prayers?
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name” (Ps 100:4).
Worship Will...
- Focuses your ATTENTION
- Bring an ALIGNMENT
- Invites an ATMOSPHERE
Question: How do we transform the mind of the church to pray, worship, and speak from a place of authentic affection rather than a place of habit?
Culture is what you CREATE or TOLERATE
When we focus our attention on JESUS, and come into Alignment with His Spirit and His people, we can expect an ATMOSPHERE where He is very present
3. JESUS FOCUSED ON THE MISSION
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10).
Jesus’ first request was not on WHAT He needed but WHY He was here
Question: What are your thoughts missing portions of scripture like Mark 16:9-20, or Matt 6:13. It does not appear in some ancient manuscripts and some scholars question if it was written by the original author. Some Bible translations make an asterisk or note saying it may not have been part of the original text.
Question: What is the best translation?
4. JESUS KEPT IT SIMPLE
“Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3, ESV)
It is not me that DOES THE WORK; It is Jesus who has DONE THE WORK
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8–9, ESV).
Everything we receive in the kingdom of God comes by His GRACE and Is received by FAITH
Keep It Simple Son!
Matthew 6:25–33 (ESV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Question: If the work of Jesus is finished and we receive the benefit of it by faith, why are we encouraged to “cry out in desperation”
5. JESUS REMINDED US THAT YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
“and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4, ESV).
Two Walls of Separation
- Unrepentant Sinfulness
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Is 59:2
- Unforgiven Offense
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mt 6:14–15).
6. JESUS INVITED THE SPIRIT’S LEADING
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Mt 6:13).
His part is the Leading, Our part is the Believing (& that looks like obedience)
Question: How can I stay consistent in my walk?
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Mt 26:40–41).
Note The Irony… When the disciples knew very little about Jesus they asked to PRAY WITH HIM, as they grew closer to Him He had to ask them to PRAY WITH HIM
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Ro 8:1–2)
So How Do I Make it Work
Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
* Seek To See God Correctly
* Make Worship a Priority
* Focus on His Mission
* Keep It Simple
* Sow and Reap
* Follow The Spirit