January 25th, 2010. Communion Sunday. "Chest Beating"-By Pastor Joseph L. Myers
"Grace, mercy, and peace be yours. From God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text for our meditation this morning. Luke 11. "Lord, teach us to pray." Here endeth the text.
"Dear Christian friends...How's your prayer life? Scripture is filled with the subject of prayer. In our text today, Jesus had just finished praying when the disciples asked him, "teach us to pray." How's your prayer life? When I prepared for this sermon message, I was reading different subjects our different thoughts from Saints that have gone on before us on this subject of prayer. I came across a story that some of you have heard before, but it makes a good point. One worth sharing again. It tells the story of a very bias theologian in the early 1500s, and this theologian man complained to a friend of his. He said "I have trouble praying. At times when I am praying, my mind would so easily wonder off. Often intruding thoughts would enter my mind just when I began to pray." Well his friend, knowing what a religious man he was, was surprised with his confession of his difficulty in praying. He said, "I just don't see how such difficulty comes your way." This Saint asked his friend, "I'll make a wager with you. I'll make the wager of this very fine stallion of mine and give it to you freely, if you can pray the Lord's prayer without an intruding thought. But you must be honest with me and tell me. The friend gladly took up that wager and he began to pray "OUR FATHER..." and as soon as he did, he wondered if a saddle came with that fine stallion as well.
All of us can identify with our weakness in prayer. Some have shared at bedtime, they might even fall asleep while praying. Although in weakness, there is one thing that Christians do, and that is pray. Luther said the following, "Just as you cannot find a living man without a pulse, you cannot find a Christian without prayer." The pulse never ceases as long as the man is alive, even when he is sleeping. Scripture declares that the Holy Spirit prayers within us. The Holy Spirit given to each of us in Baptism, prays without ceasing. I wondered if you would agree with this statement: We never pray better than when we are in great need. Would your experience confirmed that? Whenever you seem to be faced with great troubles or great needs, our knees fold a little bit quicker. I think we can all confirm that truth. You might remember the leper who prayed out to Jesus, "Lord, if thou will, thou can make me clean." I believe our most fervent prayers are said when we are in need for restoration of our health or perhaps even a loved one's health. Christians, God's Word today is urging us to call upon our heavenly Father, our loving Father. And to do so in Jesus' name. The epistle lesson tells us this: In Him, all the fullness of the God Head dwells. Jesus is God in all his fullness. He is the head of all rule and all authority. He said, "All authority in Heaven and earth is mine." Sometimes, we're just a little slow catching on, aren't we? That we have this resource who has ALL authority. Sometimes, when we're a little slow, God has to get personal with us. Do you mind if I share the last phrase of our Gospel lesson today? It says, "If you who are evil know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit, and to those who ask."Oh and by the way, were you offended at all? When God's word says, "IF YOU.." and he makes that contrast. "of sinful natures, know how to give good things, don't you think he does? How much more?"
I shared with my Bible study this morning, God can get away with an awful lot. Can you imagine someone coming into the pastor's office and they're complaining about someone in the church or not getting along with all of us. Complaining about how difficult it is. The pastor says I think I have my mind around this problem now. It's you, being evil. Would you be offended? Beloved, could we, being evil and having this sinful nature, possibly not know of our desperate condition? Even to the extent we see no need to pray. Do we see no need to call upon our heavenly Father, to call and ask and bring our petitions before him? I often share with the leaders of our congregation that dealing with sin is messy business. Evil can be so blind, arrogant. If you think that others are the problem and they're not treating you right, is your course of action, anger and slandering those poor sinners with gossip. To stay away from Sunday worship. Or do you pray for those poor sinners who offend you? After all, you being evil, should know with all your experience of being sinners. We should understand when others fall short of the Glory of God. Sometimes, when God gets personal, it hurts. However, God is getting personal again, when he says the following: "You who were dead in trespasses of your sins, God made alive, cancelling the record that stood against you." Jesus gives an example of two men praying in a temple. One man looks over and says "I'm glad I'm not like him." The other beat his chest in sorrow over his sinfullness. I believe a pastor could approach the one who was beating his chest and tell him, "God has cancelled the record against you. He has forgiven you." Too often, when we see the beating of someone's chest, it's not of humility, is it? It's almost in a manner of gorilla, king of the jungle. Dealing with a gorilla is messy business in the church. How's your prayer life? It's been said that prayer should be the key that opens every one of our days, and the lock that closes our nights. A meal eaten by a Christian without a prayer of thanksgiving, is coarse and rude. Beloved, like the disciples, we too ask Jesus to teach us to pray. For we are in great need. Scripture says he who says he is without sin is a liar, and the Truth is not in him. Dealing with those... who confess, "I, a most miserable sinner, confess unto you I am by nature sinful and unclean." We are not saying we are in a miserable feeling at all times, we are saying we are in a miserable condition of sinfullness as long as we walk the dust of this earth. So, beloved, how's your prayer life? Are you going to cancel the imaginary transgressions that you feel others have done against you? Or is your gorilla pride still causing you to beat your chest? Don't forget who has all authority and power. And don't forget He called you before the foundation of the world to be called His child. And He knows how to give good. Remember the text, "It is the Father's good pleasure to give you and me the Kingdom." If we know how to give good things to our children, how much more will our Heavenly Father? Beloved, Pray. God tells us to be persistent in our asking. That's good for us. It always keeps us mindful from whom our blessings flow. Don't be afraid of His answers, because He's always good. He always answers "yes", "wait" , or "no, this is not the ultimate good for you." Beloved, He has the whole world in his hands. In Jesus' name, call upon him, let it be so. Amen. May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
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