1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,560 Our Spring series on the Lord's Prayer is part of a multi year 2 00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:10,680 project in the spring to preach through basics for the 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,640 fundamentals of the Christian faith has been done for 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,440 centuries and preparing people for baptism and for joining the 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,280 church. And the main triangle that you'd 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,640 find in many of these early documents has to do with the 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,000 Apostles Creed, the 10 commandments, and the Lord's 8 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,440 Prayer, all of which is coming from the Bible and training, 9 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,440 onboarding new Christians for their participation in the 10 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:39,320 community of faith. Ji Packer says that the the 11 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:42,880 creed is teaching us what to believe, the commandments how to 12 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,000 behave, and the Lord's Prayer how to commune with God. 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,240 So we're learning from the very basic outset of our life 14 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,400 together and Christianity, how to believe, how to behave, and 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,640 how to commune. Last week we looked very 16 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,360 carefully at the term Father as our Lord teaches us to pray, Our 17 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,840 Father who art in heaven, What does that word mean? 18 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:11,400 And we learned that within that word, there's a whole theology 19 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,200 of adoption embedded in that term. 20 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:21,320 Father sin makes us children of the devil, the Bible says, but 21 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:25,840 God in the gospel makes us his children through adoption. 22 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,600 Packer helps us here, too, with this quote. 23 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,600 Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. 24 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,360 The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the 25 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,160 family name. To be right with God the judges 26 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,400 a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father 27 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,320 is greater. And we learned last week that 28 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:57,680 this adoption is a Trinitarian mission which makes prayer a 29 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:02,000 family affair. The only way we can address God 30 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:07,280 as Father is through the work of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, 31 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,880 who is the agent of our adoption. 32 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:17,160 His work is applied and empowered by means of the Holy 33 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,400 Spirit, who is called the Spirit of Sonship. 34 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,200 It is a Spirit who animates our prayers, helps us to pray and 35 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:31,800 even praise for us. Thus, prayer is a family affair 36 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,880 addressed to the Father in the name of the Son by the Holy 37 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:39,880 Spirit. Today I'm just looking at the 38 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,200 Word hour. Yeah, you heard that right. 39 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,160 We got a whole another sermon on just one more word, very 40 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:51,560 important word, and which makes this sermon entitled Prayer is a 41 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:56,880 Family Affair Part 2. For with that word hour we are 42 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,360 asked to focus on and another aspect to the familial nature of 43 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:07,120 our relationships. You see, we desperately need 44 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,000 family. We desperately need family. 45 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,760 And as we look out, you know, over the world and we see the 46 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,800 ongoing breakdown of the family with more and more children 47 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,400 growing up without stable homes. And as we look out and see a 48 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,920 culture of radical individualism, hyper 49 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:31,960 individualism in times of desperate and epidemic 50 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:37,080 loneliness, what are we to do? What are we to do? 51 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,080 Zuckerberg and Musk thinks that the companion bots will solve 52 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,400 our problems. I think that's too small. 53 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,160 What are we to do? How can we go on like this? 54 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:55,480 We desperately need a family. So as we focus on this little 55 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:03,880 word, this little pronoun, we see that it changes everything. 56 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:09,480 For we pray our Father and that little word our sets us within 57 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,320 the family, not only within the Trinitarian family, Father, Son 58 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,079 and Holy Spirit, but now we're talking about the family of the 59 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:21,120 Church. So we are recognized. 60 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:26,040 We recognize that we are not only adopted as individuals, but 61 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,920 because of our adoption we are now placed in a new adoptive 62 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:35,160 family, the Church, which makes again prayer a family affair. 63 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:42,280 Now we pray as brothers and sisters in Christ with this 64 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:48,120 little word our we join hands and pray as a collective of 65 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,720 adopted children. God is our father. 66 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,840 We have these brothers and sisters in Christ and many have 67 00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:58,560 seen that the Bible seems to teach and other and very 68 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,840 important theologians have also affirmed that the church is our 69 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:06,920 mother, That we don't just have sort of a flat relationship 70 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,560 between between our siblings in the faith, but there is actually 71 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,840 authority and nurture and care and protection that we can think 72 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:20,600 of the church as our mother. John Calvin says this. 73 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,520 I shall start then with the Church, into whose bosom God is 74 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,400 pleased to gather his sons and daughters, not only that they 75 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,520 may be nourished by her help and ministry as long as they are 76 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,760 infants and children, but also that they may be guided by her 77 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,840 motherly care until they mature and at last reach the goal of 78 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:44,080 faith. So that for those to whom he is 79 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,960 Father, the Church may also be mother, following St. 80 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,840 Cyprian who said you cannot have God for your father unless you 81 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:55,840 have the church for your mother. And as Paul also testifies when 82 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:59,840 he teaches that we are the children of the new and heavenly 83 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:04,880 Jerusalem, see Galatians 426 where he literally says she is 84 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:12,600 our mother. So prayer is a family affair our 85 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,280 places us within this familial context. 86 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,080 I think it's a hard thing to learn and to follow. 87 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,520 I remember one of the most jolting aspects about being a 88 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:28,880 newlywed was to transition in my way of speaking from my and mine 89 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:34,440 to our and ours as we brought all of our money and our 90 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:38,680 vehicles into common. I had to stop saying my house to 91 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:43,880 Deidre or my car to Deidre. It is now our, not mine. 92 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,640 I have to think of her in reference to everything. 93 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,480 And if you're living in a culture of radical individualism 94 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,320 where we can kind of think of our faith as just between me and 95 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,680 God, it can be very, very hard to think of our faith in 96 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,920 reference to the community of faith. 97 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,200 Indeed, it can be tempting to have a very negative attitude 98 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,840 toward the church with her scandals and heresies and 99 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:16,160 problems. But the fact is, if we have 100 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:21,320 Jesus eyes towards this lady, we must admit she is a grand lady, 101 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:29,400 a great queen, purchased at enormous cost in redemption. 102 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:35,440 He gave his own life for her. So I am passionate about having 103 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,920 the privilege of kindling in US. Yes, a heart and a love for our 104 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,600 Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but also a passionate love for 105 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,560 His bride, the Church, our mother. 106 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,160 And it's my privilege to bring some of that for you to this 107 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,240 morning as we as we look at these texts together and 108 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,080 consider our relationships together in the local church as 109 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,680 being stronger than biological connections because of the great 110 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:07,920 work of our Lord. Now our text this morning is 111 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:11,960 technically Matthew 69 and only one word within that text, which 112 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,400 is our. I think you can hold that in 113 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,440 your minds well enough that I would actually like you to turn 114 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,200 your Bibles to the book of Ephesians because I'm going to 115 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:25,560 show, hopefully, how embedded in that word hour is this theology 116 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:30,360 of family, mostly leaning on some sections of Ephesians, 117 00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:36,000 Chapter 1, chapter 2, and chapter 4. 118 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:39,440 If you don't have your Bible, that's OK, you can listen. 119 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,280 Or if you want to dig out one of the Bibles underneath your 120 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,280 chair, you can do that too, no problem. 121 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,680 Our first point this morning is that this adoption, this 122 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:51,560 adoption in the gospel means that we receive a new family. 123 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:55,440 Adoption means not only new parents, but a new family. 124 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,480 Last week we looked carefully and I'm going to read again this 125 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,440 theology of adoption out of Ephesians chapter 1. 126 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,440 If you're with me and you would like to read it with me, I'm 127 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,240 beginning in verse 3. Ephesians one beginning in verse 128 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:17,960 3, look at all the familial terms, the terms of adoption, 129 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,640 the Trinitarian aspect of this passage. 130 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:24,680 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has 131 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:28,000 blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the 132 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,320 heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the 133 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,080 foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless 134 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:38,640 before him in love. He he predestined us for 135 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:44,200 adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ according 136 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,680 to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace 137 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:54,040 with which he has blessed us in the beloved Paul will expand 138 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,200 this household of faith idea in chapter 2. 139 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:00,800 So if you can flip over to chapter 2 beginning in verse 17. 140 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:07,040 That's why you heard read this morning Ephesians 2 beginning 141 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,800 verse 17. I'm reading through verse 22 and 142 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,200 he that is Jesus came and preached peace to you who are 143 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,120 far off, and peace to those who are near. 144 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:22,120 For through Him we have access in one spirit to the Father. 145 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,920 Again, notice how Trinitarian this is verse 19. 146 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:31,680 So then you y'all are no longer strangers and aliens, but you 147 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:35,160 are fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the 148 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,720 household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and 149 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,280 prophets. Christ Jesus himself being the 150 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:45,120 cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together 151 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,600 grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 152 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,480 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place 153 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:59,000 for God by the Spirit. Wow, wow. 154 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:07,320 This is how God talks about us, about his adoptive family, about 155 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,360 the church. And we see that we are brought 156 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,960 into a family and now we have siblings and adoptive parents 157 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,360 and we're adoptive children, and we have aunties and uncles and 158 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:23,120 nieces and nephews with bonds of kinship that are even, as I 159 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:27,080 said, greater than our biological kinship bonds. 160 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,960 Paul in First Timothy says this again, talking about the church. 161 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,240 In church, do not rebuke an older man, but encourage him as 162 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:43,000 you would a father. Younger men as brothers, older 163 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:49,200 women as mothers, younger women as sisters in all purity. 164 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,280 Do we feel this? Do we sense this? 165 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:58,320 Do we understand this? Adoption means we're part of a 166 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,960 brand new family. And with this, next, the 167 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,520 extension of this, a new family means that we have privileges 168 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:10,200 and responsibilities. We have privileges and 169 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,400 responsibilities on the privileges side. 170 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:17,720 We have belonging and care on the on the obligation sides. 171 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,800 We have all kinds of duties that Paul will mention in Holy 172 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,680 Scripture, the way that we take care of one another. 173 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:28,280 And it's interesting, in our modern moment, we really want 174 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:32,120 the belonging part, but we're not that interested in the 175 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,080 obligations part, are we? We want to be friends with 176 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:40,080 benefits, but don't tie me down, man, Don't tie me down. 177 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,440 But the thing that's interesting, and if you think 178 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,520 about it logically, you can't have belonging without the 179 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,000 obligations. For it is the ethic of the 180 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:57,760 duties and the obligations that forms the belonging, the care, 181 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:03,440 the hospitality, the welcome. You can't have one without the 182 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,200 other. And in as much as we try, we 183 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:09,280 will be famished and dysfunctional. 184 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:16,480 New family means belonging, but with obligations. 185 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:21,200 And in here we can consider then now Chapter 4. 186 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,120 And Paul and his letters often will do this. 187 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,600 He'll theologize on the front end, and then he'll say 188 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,160 therefore and give you the ethic, here's the story that 189 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,800 you're supposed to live in and through and out of, and now 190 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:35,240 here's how you're going to do that. 191 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:39,640 This is no different so we switch into the ethical section 192 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,920 of Ephesians when we look at chapter 4 beginning in verse 193 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:49,000 one, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 and I want you to notice 194 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:53,040 underline if you need to, all of the ways he's encouraging us to 195 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,600 obligations that give us this sense of belonging and mutual 196 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,640 care. I, Paul, therefore, a prisoner 197 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,680 for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the 198 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:06,480 calling to which you've been called. 199 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,000 He's going to talk about our attitudes in verse 2, in verse 200 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,120 2, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, 201 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,520 bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the 202 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:23,560 unity of the Spirit, and in of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 203 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,400 There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called 204 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:31,000 to the one hope that belongs to your call. 1 Lord, 1 faith, one 205 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,640 baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through 206 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,040 all and in all. But grace was given to each one 207 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,480 of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 208 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,800 Therefore, it says, when he ascended on high, He led a host 209 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,520 of captives, and he gave gifts to men. 210 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:49,440 Did you notice some of the themes? 211 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:56,560 Love, unity, peace, gentleness, respect, all because of the 212 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:00,000 story of this great gospel that we have down in verse 11. 213 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,320 He's going to talk about more of the structures of the church. 214 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:06,360 He and He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the 215 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,560 shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of 216 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:14,040 ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we attain 217 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,520 to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. 218 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,880 To mature manhood to the measure of the status of the fullness of 219 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,960 Christ. So that we may no longer be 220 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,680 children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by 221 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,360 every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and disk, 222 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,240 evil schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in 223 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,280 love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head 224 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:45,360 into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by 225 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,760 every joint with which is equipped with each part, when 226 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:54,240 each part is working properly, making the body grow so that it 227 00:15:54,240 --> 00:16:00,320 builds itself up in love. Now he talks about the going 228 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:04,360 ongoing maturity that brothers and sisters in Christ help that 229 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,600 the authority of the officers within the church help encourage 230 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,920 maturity so that we grow and overtime look more and more like 231 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:15,440 Jesus. Verse 25 and following verse 25 232 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,560 of chapter 4. Therefore, having put it away 233 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,440 falsehood. Let each one of you speak the 234 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:26,480 truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 235 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,520 Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on 236 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,040 your anger and give no opportunity opportunity to the 237 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,960 devil. Let the thief no longer steal, 238 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,640 but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands 239 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,760 so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 240 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:47,680 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as 241 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:52,560 such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it 242 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,960 may give grace to those who hear and do not grieve the Holy 243 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:58,920 Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of 244 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:02,560 redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and 245 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:07,640 anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with 246 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:12,160 all malice. Be kind to one another, tender 247 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:17,040 hearted, forgiving one another as God and Christ forgave you. 248 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,599 I don't know about y'all, but I want to live in that kind of 249 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:26,680 family. I want to live and belong to 250 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,640 that kind of family. He's giving you a vision of 251 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,920 heaven, an outpost of the Kingdom of God. 252 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:38,040 And so the church, with all of its sins and its scandals, is 253 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,160 still equipped by the Holy Spirit of God and the gospel of 254 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,560 Jesus Christ to shine brightly in this world and has done for 255 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,520 2000 years. We live out of the story and in 256 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:51,440 the story. And if we follow the ethic like 257 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:55,040 this, the world will see us and scratch their heads and they'll 258 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,440 be like, what in the world do we do? 259 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:01,480 They have. I mean, I thought chat bots were 260 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:06,320 great companion buddies, totally affirming, never tell me I do 261 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,560 anything wrong. But they have real 262 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:13,600 relationships. They seem to be growing and 263 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,720 changing in ways that are fundamentally compelling. 264 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:20,000 They have a corporate solidarity. 265 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,840 They look after one another. They don't leave one another 266 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:27,000 behind. It's a radical vision, a 267 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:32,960 countercultural vision, a counterintuitive vision, because 268 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,160 it is counterintuitive to think if I commit, oh man, they're 269 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:41,000 going to take up all my time. But God is saying, the Bible is 270 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,960 saying the church has taught us that if we commit and care for 271 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,760 one another, only then will we actuate the flourishing that is 272 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,080 described, the mutual care necessary to tend to one 273 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:57,040 another. We have to ask ourselves, is the 274 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,800 church our central institution in our lives? 275 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,760 We have to ask ourselves this question because it can become 276 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:08,240 so easy for the church to become 6th or 7th in our institutional 277 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:12,560 hierarchy. My true affections and loyalty 278 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,480 and time and money belong to fill in the blank. 279 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,000 This institution, that institution and the church 280 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,120 receives the leftovers. But what is needed is for that 281 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:30,800 to be flipped, for the church to recenter as the regal queen that 282 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:35,760 she is, with my best energy. I'm so glad that you're here. 283 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,040 First day of the week. This is prime time, the very 284 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:40,760 early hours. But we haven't even eaten lunch 285 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,120 yet. You're here giving part of your 286 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:47,960 time, an important part of your time, beginning the week off 287 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,160 right, showing that our affections have this institution 288 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,800 at the center of our lives. But besides time, we always 289 00:19:55,800 --> 00:20:00,400 teach that. We also teach that our talents 290 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,760 and our services, our spiritual gifts, belong to the church. 291 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:08,840 So if you're asking ourselves, is the church in the center of 292 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:10,560 my institutional life, I have to ask. 293 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,000 We have to ask ourselves what is our ministry within her midst? 294 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,600 How am I serving the local church? 295 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,120 How am I engaging the life of the family of God? 296 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:25,400 We have to think about not only our time, but our our talents. 297 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:28,840 You guessed it, the preacher's going down a list of teas. 298 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:35,280 I hope you're following along. Time, talents, treasure. 299 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:40,520 You can determine priorities by looking through someone's bank 300 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:42,200 statements. We don't do that around here, 301 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,400 but we can figure out by spending patterns where our 302 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,640 loyalties lie, what's important to us. 303 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:53,320 These lights don't stay on automatically. 304 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:58,440 My salary isn't paid by magic. It all comes from the loyal and 305 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,520 generous offerings that are given to this church, committed 306 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,040 church people who have this place centered. 307 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:11,120 But besides these time and talents and treasure, one more 308 00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:14,960 tea for you this morning. Our thoughts and cares in a 309 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,720 given week is the church centered? 310 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,840 Do its concerns become part of our prayer life? 311 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:28,680 Our previous ministry resident before Hudson came along, we had 312 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,000 Everett Pollard. Some of you know him, love him. 313 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:36,040 Great man Everett went through Taylor as a student committed to 314 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:37,960 UCC. He also worked at Lyft. 315 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:46,600 And one day, sadly, the greeter at Lyft, this older woman named 316 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:51,160 Gene Bowen, she got sick, declined, and she died. 317 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:57,520 And Everett shared with me, he said, Dan, I knew that my 318 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:03,760 relationship with UCC changed when in my thoughts and 319 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:08,680 concerns, the things that I think about during my weekly 320 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:13,760 life began to be interrupted by the thoughts and concerns of 321 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,040 UCC. And it happened with Jean. 322 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:20,480 I had to come out for her funeral. 323 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:25,000 I couldn't miss it. So there's this centering that 324 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:29,800 goes on even in our thoughts and concerns, and this brings us 325 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:34,760 very closely to what prayer is and what it means for it is in 326 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,880 our prayer life for their our thoughts and our concerns come 327 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:42,920 pouring out to God. If a new family means belonging 328 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,640 and and obligations. The Bible teaches us, I don't 329 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:47,720 have time to show you, but the Bible teaches us that we are to 330 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:53,600 pray for one another as a group. And so we have two things that 331 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,000 are going on in a biblical theology of prayer. 332 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:01,200 One is our individual prayers, our private prayers, but also 333 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:06,480 our corporate prayers as a church family, private prayers, 334 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,320 individuals, corporate prayer as a church family. 335 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,400 Our Lord is the model for this, and John Calvin again helps us 336 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:18,040 with such keen insight when he's thinking about the relationship 337 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,800 between individual prayer and corporate prayer. 338 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:27,560 Calvin, our Lord himself also, therefore, with good reason, 339 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,400 when he determined to devote himself more intensely to 340 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,960 prayers, habitually withdrew to a quiet spot far away from the 341 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:39,560 tumult of men. But in the meantime he did not 342 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,960 abstain from praying even in the midst of a crowd, if the 343 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,960 occasion so presented, so presented itself. 344 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:50,040 And so we should lift up clean hands in all places where there 345 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:54,000 is need. Finally, and he's going to get 346 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:59,640 very pastoral and very incisive here finally, we must consider 347 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,920 that whoever refused to pray in the holy assembly of the godly 348 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:09,320 praying Church knows not what it is to pray individually. 349 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:14,880 Again, he who neglects to play, to pray alone and in private, 350 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:19,160 however often he goes to church, they're in church only makes 351 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,680 windy prayers. For he defers more to the 352 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:27,600 opinion of men than to the secret judgement of God. 353 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,240 What does all that mean? He Calvin is teaching that in 354 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,560 the life of our Lord there's an example of private prayer and 355 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,560 corporate prayer in public. We too follow that same example. 356 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,120 We have private prayer and we have corporate prayer that is in 357 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:42,720 public. But Calvin's going a step 358 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:47,160 further pastorally by saying if you don't pray in private, then 359 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:49,280 you're no good praying in public. 360 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,360 You're just doing it to achieve the praise of men. 361 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,120 But On the contrary wise, if you're not praying in public or 362 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,440 engaging in the corporate prayers, you're no good on your 363 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,120 knees at home. They're somehow mutually 364 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:07,840 inclusive and informing one another and one without the 365 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,600 other is like a bicycle that only has one wheel but ain't 366 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:16,440 going to work. Both of these come together when 367 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,720 we consider now the Lord's Prayer. 368 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:23,600 Because we pray our Father who art in heaven, we're allowed to 369 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,480 pray it in secret. But even when we prayed in 370 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,720 secret, we were praying it in the context of a family 371 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,040 relationship. This is radical to me. 372 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,520 For in my life when I pray the Lord's Prayer, until fairly 373 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,800 recently, I was only thinking about my needs and the needs of 374 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,160 my immediate family. So when we get to the petition, 375 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,200 for example, give us this day Our Daily Bread. 376 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,400 Guess what Dan Blosser's thinking about on his knees and 377 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,040 private prayer? Our groceries. 378 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,160 Yep, our home budget for the Blosser house, car payment 379 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,560 mortgage. You know, Lord, please provide 380 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,520 for us. But what our Lord is teaching 381 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:08,160 when he says our Father is not for me to not only include the 382 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,520 needs of my immediate family, but the needs of this family. 383 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:17,160 So now when I pray Our Father, I'm also praying again back to 384 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,640 the example petition for Our Daily Bread that this church 385 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:25,320 will have what it needs. Lord provide for our church. 386 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,440 When I'm praying the petition for forgiveness in my individual 387 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:34,400 self, I'm thinking about, OK, I need to forgive as I'm forgiven. 388 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:40,480 But now when I pray Our Father and think about it as a member 389 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:45,960 of UCC, when you think about how UCC, its relationships, all with 390 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,920 these brothers and sisters, we need forgiveness, don't we? 391 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:53,360 May my church experience your forgiveness, not only with you, 392 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:55,560 our Father, but with one another. 393 00:26:56,360 --> 00:27:01,520 And so we enter into this, this dynamic mutuality between the 394 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:05,280 individual and the corporate, and it should supercharge and 395 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:09,400 inform everything. I pray that this will be your 396 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:14,040 experience too, as we journey together as a family. 397 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,560 Some applications as I conclude, just a couple of things today. 398 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:22,840 How might we apply these things? The first thing, since we're 399 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,200 talking about belonging and the obligations that come with 400 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,240 belonging, we need to just make that an application. 401 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:34,520 All of us are on a journey of going further up and further in 402 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,040 with the Lord's church. What does it look like for you? 403 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:40,120 What does that look like for you? 404 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,760 If you're a brand new visitor, you're still trying to discern 405 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,120 if this is going to be a place where you come long term. 406 00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:49,360 If you've been here for a while, maybe you'd like to get a 407 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:56,000 mailbox so that you can receive news from this place and give 408 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,960 notes to one another. How are we going to know one 409 00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:03,120 another in this mass of anonymity if they're if we don't 410 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:05,480 know some names? So maybe the next step for you 411 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:10,040 is to put the directory on your device or ask for a printed copy 412 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,520 so that you can see people's names and begin to learn who 413 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:15,640 they are. So that when Hudson up here 414 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:21,920 prays for Connie Kramer, who just lost her sister, that you 415 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:24,760 could look that up, that you could see her face, that you 416 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,000 could know who she is, that you could lift her up in prayer. 417 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,600 And it isn't just a rando name that just went flowing by in the 418 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:33,880 middle of church Once Upon a time on a Sunday morning, but a 419 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:40,320 person with a sister who died. I don't know what the next step 420 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:42,320 is for you. Maybe you've attended here for a 421 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,880 long time and just keep forgetting to become a member. 422 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:48,640 Never think about it at the right time. 423 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,800 Or, you know, some have thought. Maybe you're a member when you 424 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:53,440 get a mailbox. It doesn't quite work that way. 425 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:56,120 There is a little small application. 426 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,760 Check the face statement. See if you're in alignment at 427 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:06,320 least with the important things. Commit to be a part of this 428 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:12,000 church, your service, your time, talents that you would take that 429 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,200 step of membership. Perhaps maybe some of you need 430 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,160 to just be in a group. You're like, man, a lot of time 431 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,600 goes by and I have never heard a prayer request. 432 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,120 Nobody knows what's going on in my life. 433 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,840 I'm totally anonymous. This is a big room. 434 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:25,040 It's a big group, lots of people. 435 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,320 We have to make it smaller. We do that with our home groups 436 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,000 and our Sunday school classes and our men's meetings and our 437 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:38,280 women's meetings, our prayer meetings so that we can be 438 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:43,120 involved in one another's lives. And especially for the care 439 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,680 aspect, because it won't take long before somebody that you 440 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,040 know is going to be going through a time of need or you 441 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,320 yourself are going to be going through a time of need. 442 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,720 And until you've been on the receiving end, when you're going 443 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,960 through a crisis, you're on the receiving end of the church 444 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:04,720 rallying around you, providing meals and prayer and calls and 445 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,240 cards. You have no idea what this 446 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:09,240 means. You just go drifting along 447 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,400 through life thinking the churches about sermons and songs 448 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:17,560 and totally miss this aspect over 50 times. 449 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:20,320 There's one another passages in scriptures about how we're 450 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,080 supposed to be caring and knowing one another, love, 451 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,320 praying for one another, loving one another. 452 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:31,560 I think this is an awesome place, the beautiful place that 453 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,560 I've experienced the care of God's people now for over 10 454 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:38,280 years. Watched it first hand and it has 455 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,560 been truly humbling and amazing to see. 456 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:44,840 But the question here is what is your next step to go a little 457 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:48,120 further up and a little further in body life? 458 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:52,000 And the second thing has to do with our prayers. 459 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,960 And I've alluded to this already, but we need to grow in 460 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:59,600 our individual prayers, but also in our corporate prayers. 461 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:04,360 And I also want to highlight seasons of prayer or times of 462 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,600 prayer. It's not only do we have a 463 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,320 weekly rhythm where we're praying together, but the church 464 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:14,000 for many centuries as even thought of seasons of prayer 465 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,240 according to the church calendar. 466 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,000 I wanted to just highlight one for you this morning because 467 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:22,440 Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent 468 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,520 or the Lenten season of the church calendar has been for 469 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,680 centuries a time for the church to spend more time praying than 470 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,320 usual, to think about the cost of the gospel, to spend 471 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,840 reflective, prayerful time preparing for Holy Week and for 472 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,400 Easter. I would recommend this to you. 473 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,360 It's a good practice. It can go bad in some ways, so 474 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,240 be smart. I'll have some resources down 475 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:50,240 here if you're interested in taking on a little devotional 476 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,560 reading during the next 40 days. You can come up and look at 477 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:55,560 those after the service if you're interested. 478 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:58,720 But we need to grow in our individual prayers and in our 479 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:03,040 corporate prayers, and we can do so especially during a prayer 480 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:09,680 season like Lent. So to conclude, friends, sin 481 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,520 makes us enemies. It does. 482 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:19,120 But God in the gospel adopts us into a family and make siblings 483 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:23,680 out of enemies. Prayer is a family affair. 484 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:28,360 I'll conclude by inviting you to say the Lord's Prayer with me if 485 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:30,480 you know it. If you don't, that's OK just 486 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:32,280 listen. And when we get to the part 487 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:35,720 about sins, I'm going to say trespasses because that's the 488 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:37,440 way my grandma taught me to pray it. 489 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:41,240 So there you go, Will you pray with me as we respond? 490 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:49,040 Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, Thy 491 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:54,280 Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 492 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,600 Give us this day Our Daily Bread, and forgive us our 493 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:03,360 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 494 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:09,000 Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For thine 495 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,840 is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. 496 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:13,760 Amen.