The Communication of a Deep Relationship w/God-- Prayer

Text: John 15:1-17

Link: Going Deep Through Prayer

Main Challenge: Effective Prayer arises out of a plugged in life.

Rate the following on a scale from 1 to 10

- How you relationship with God is?    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10
- How your prayer life is?                     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Effective prayer is in-line with or connected to God

- How do you define the following words?

   -  Know?

"Probably the best word for intimacy is the word 'know.' But this knowing goes much deeper than knowledge.  The Bible first uses this word to describe a relationship in Genesis 4:1. The Hebrew word here for "knew" is Yada. But some translations translate the word a little differently, because it puts it in the context of what's happening.  So your Bible probably says in Genesis 4:1: Adam lay with his wife Eve...You get the picture?  That is our context for Yada.  Now don't just giggle and brush past this.  This is not a 'yada, yada, yada' moment, okay?  This is a YADA moment between husband and wife.  It's this intimate connection on every level.  To know and to be known completely.  It's a beautiful picture that helps us get to know what it really means to know Christ.  There are other Hebrew words that could have been used to describe the sexual intimacy that is taking place.  These words for sex are used later in Scripture and refer to the physical act or even procreation.  But the word in Genesis 4 is Yada, the Hebrew word for 'know.'  Clearly when the Bible uses this word for 'know' it means much more that knowledge.  It describes the most intimate of connections.  One Hebrew scholar defines the word this way: 'A mingling of the souls.' That's more than knowledge, that's intimacy."
                                                                        From  Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

When we say that we "know" Christ it is not that we just know facts and figures about Christ, but that we know Him and are known by Him.  And the challenge for us is to cultivate our lives in such a way that we are getting to know Him better and more fully...He already knows everything about us, so its not about Him getting to know us, but rather us getting to know Him...when you understand "know"  in this way it takes on a whole knew meaning...its not that I just have 50 verses, 500 verses or all of Scripture memorized, but rather as I read it I hear Him speaking to me...he is comforting and guiding me...and He's taking me to that intimate place with Him...Why? So that I can abide in Him.

   - Abide?

Think through some of the synonyms that come to mind when you hear the word abide...

When you combine know and abide together there is the idea of an intimate connection that calls us to a deeper place in/with God and John 15 is painting a picture of what that looks like and the outcome of that is effective prayer.

Does John 15:7 say "Ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you?"  No, it says; "If you abide in me and my words abide in you then ask..."  Effective prayer is in-line with God's heart and that arises out of a relationship that knows God intimately and abides in Him.  Stop and think about the Lord's prayer...to many of us have changed it to be "Thy Kingdom come, my will be done..." We pull back at that thought, but how many of our prayers are just that?  If we know God deeply our prayer life will be asking for His Kingdom to come and be advanced here/now and for life here to look like it does in Heaven...not that I get that bright, new shiny object...

Effective prayer is constant and a two-way street.

If you are abiding in Christ there is a constant on going inter-change...that involves both speaking and listening.  If we are in a deep relationship with God we will be guided and carried along by the Spirit.  Too often we throw up our prayer requests and then we are off and running, but we need to be waiting and listening.  I confess that there have been times in my life where I have prayed for something for years and then when it looks like the answer has arrived I go with it...instead if I am abiding I should be praying and listening to verify that it is of God...all good communication is two-way.

Effective prayer utilizes Scripture

Effective prayer utilizes Scripture both in the listening and talking piece.  If what you are hearing does not line up with Scripture run the other way...if it does then go down that path...this is where "test the spirits" comes into play.  That is part of listening, but we also should be praying Scripture back to God as well.  That keeps your prayers in-line with God.  How often do your prayer line up with Scripture or does it line up with the desires of your flesh?

An effective use of John 15 would be to pray that you and others would abide in Christ and to know Him more fully...praying that we are speaking and demonstrating the love of Christ to those around us...pray in such a way that says God help me to love others as You love them...

Application

- Spend an extra ________ minutes reading the Bible and praying this week.

The Fruit of a Deep Relationship with God--Contentment

Title: The Fruit of a Deep Relationship with God--Contentment

Text: Philippians 4:11-13

Link: Going Deep - Contentment

Note:  Portions of this message where shaped by a RBC Ministries booklet: Cultivating a Heart of Contentment by Gary Inrig

Here is the note taking outline:

Intro Questions:

- Why is the Gospel good news?

- What was the original sin?

- What is the 10th Commandment?

Main Point: Because we have everything in Christ we can be content no matter what.

- What is your definition of:

Covetousness?

Contentment?

Covetousness = a very strong desire to have something you do not have
Contentment = a state of happiness and satisfaction (synonyms: comfort, well being, peace)

"True godliness always travels with 'contentment.'  For the Greek and Roman philosophers, this was a significant word, one that described an attitude of self-sufficiency, the ability to rely on one's resources and not on others.  For the Stoic philosophers, the ideal man was an independent man, in need of nothing and no one else.  In Paul's view however, contentment took a different meaning.  As he wrote to the Philippians from a prison cell, 'I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:11-13).  Contentment, then, is not about self-sufficiency but Christ-sufficiency."
                                                                                   - Gary Inrig

"The more abundantly the benefits of civilization come streaming our way, the emptier our lives become.  With all its wealth and power, it only shows that the human heart, in which God has placed eternity, is so huge that all the world is too small to satisfy it."
                                                                                   - Herman Bavnik

Other places in Scripture that talk about contentment in the midst of trials...it is all over but I reference these: 2 Corinthians 11:16-28, James, Habakkuk 3:16-19

Application:

- What is your heart set on?
- Do you desire to have more of God? (This is a healthy form of covetousness)
- Remind yourself daily of everything you have in Christ
- Develop a lifestyle of limits, not luxury
- Put covetousness to death in your life with contentment
- Invest in eternity not the temporal

Into the Depths of God Through Forgiveness

Title: Into the Depths of God Through Forgiveness

Scripture:  Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:9-15, Genesis 50:20

Link: Going Deep - Forgiveness

Link to YouTube audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFmsl2MsFJw

Today's verses are very familiar passages...we see them on T-Shirts, bracelets...etc...we love to quote them, but they are some of the most difficult to internalize and live out...this is in large part because of unforgiveness in our hearts...take a listen to this message as we walk through how God healed Tammy's heart, took her to a deeper place with Him and freed her from the hurt she had buried and had enslaved her for so long....

Thanks for sharing Tammy.