Aligning Our Priorities With God's Priorities Series

Cornerstone Church March 5, 2006

“Prayer 101 - Lord, Teach Us To Pray” Series

“LESSON 3: ALIGNING OUR PRIORITIES

WITH GOD’S PRIORITIES.”

Matthew 6:10

Bruce Nolan is an average guy working as a reporter for a television station. Sadly, he is bored to death with his job. He thinks that happiness will be found in a promotion from reporter to news anchor!

When Bruce is passed over for an on-air promotion, he cries out pleading for God to take his side and give him a break. When his self-centered prayers aren’t answered, he mocks God’s ability to answer prayer.

GOD: You’ve been doing a lot of complaining about me, Bruce. And quite frankly, I’m tired of it...

GOD: My job. You think you can do it better, so here’s your chance. When you leave this building you will be endowed with all my powers.

For a week Bruce fills in for God while He is on vacation. He thinks that by having the power of God he is going to get his promotion and his girlfriend back.

BRUCE: You win. I’ m done. Please. I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to be God. (sighs) Please, help me.

BRUCE: Am I...?

GOD: You can’t expect to kneel down in the middle of a highway and live to talk about it.

BRUCE: But why? Why now?

BRUCE: You knew it all along. You knew if I got everything I wanted, I would ruin my life. God doesn’t respond, just listens.

BRUCE: So I’m dead... Okay. If this is what you want. Okay, okay...

GOD: Go ahead, pray!

BRUCE: Alright... I’ve learned that I don’t know as much I thought I did...

GOD: Boy, you can say that again.

BRUCE: Hey, I’m praying here.

GOD: Sorry, continue!

BRUCE: If I could have just one thing in the world. It would be for Grace to live a happy, joyful life. And that she finds someone... (getting emotional as he realizes what he’s saying) ...that she finds someone that will treat her with the love and respect that she so deserves.

GOD: Now that is a prayer. Well, I better get on that one. See ya, Bruce.

Bruce learns that receiving everything on our self-centered list leaves us lonely. There is no room for anyone else in our own self-absorbed little world.

I must confess I’ve lived my life a lot like Bruce Almighty at times!

Concerned about my own little kingdom

Concerned with my own needs!

All of us from time to time have taken the steering wheel of our lives away from God to direct our own path or course.

“I did it my way!”

The Old Testament Patriarch Jacob struggled with this as well! He wrestled with God!

Gen 32:26-30 NIV Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Here’s the thing: It is what makes this portion of Scripture so difficult. God saved us by His Grace! We stand before God - holy and blameless because of the righteousness of Jesus. We have been and are being set free from sin!

We are now bondservants, slaves of the LORD Jesus Christ.

For our own good He asks us to synch of lives to Him.

Synch our earthly living and values with Heaven – God’s Kingdom values!

We don’t mind synchronizing:

Our Palm Pilot

Our Date book

Our Email address book

Our Blackberry

Our Clocks to the atomic clock!

We have trouble, however,

wanting to synch our lives to heaven!

REVIEW:

Last week we began to look at the Lord’s Prayer in more detail. We started with the first phrase:

“This, then, is how you should pray:

Matt. 6:9a NIV

The phrase didn’t say this is what you ought to pray!

WE ARE TO PRAY:

“along these lines”

“in the following manner”

WHAT THIS MEANS IS:

This prayer is a prototype for us to follow.

This prayer is a blueprint for us to follow.

This prayer is a map for us to follow.

This prayer is a pattern for us to follow.

JESUS ISSUES TWO WARNINGS!

Don’t pray like the hypocrites – Matthew 6:5-6

Don’t pray like the pagans – Matthew 6:7-8

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,