Scripture: Isaiah 44:1-8

 Subject: God’s promise of blessings in spite of unfaithfulness

 Theme: God’s people are happier and blessed

Introduction:

·   There are things in this world that make us happier.

·   I am not talking about a kind of happiness that comes from engaging in some games or excursion or expedition and so on

·   I am talking about the contentment / happiness we enjoy from the blessings that we have.

·   For example,

1. Security in Life: If people have  good job and secure in it, they are happier. It is because there is much assurance about future.
2. Sound financial position:  Those who inherit a lot of property and money from their family are generally happy because they will have enough money to spend at their discretion.
3. Sound health: If we have sound health, we are basically happy.
4. Political leaders make a lot of promises and make their voters happier. They are able to fulfill some and some promises are like clouds without water.
5. We watched the debate between Carey and Bush, the presidential candidates of America.  While attacking each other and supporting their own claims, they didn’t forget to give a lot of promises to the Americans.  Who won the election?  The one who made the Americans happier

  · Promise is something that makes people happier.

·   A lot of people live on promises

·   It is something that we all make with other people.

·   We promise certain things and sometimes we fulfill them and other times we may not be able to fulfill what we promise.

- Husbands promise to wives – we promise them to take somewhere, but quite often we are disappointed when we come late from the office.

- Wives promise to their husbands.

- Parents make a lot of promises to children and children to parents

- Believers promise certain things to God.

·   All of us, sometimes, live with guilt because we are unable to fulfill the promises that we make.

·   It may be because we are human and have our own limitation.

·   Sometimes when we see people are unfaithful and ungrateful, we withdraw our promise.

·   But when God promises something, he will definitely fulfill it.

·   He is not a man that he should lye or be limited in His ability.

·   His fulfilling of promises does not depend on our merit or faithfulness.

·   He is faithful even if we are unfaithful!

·   Does that mean that we continue to live an unfaithful life and expect God’s mercy and faithfulness? No! Not at all!

·   Our problem is that we often take advantage of God’s love, forgiveness, and faithfulness.

·   What will happen if we continue to be unfaithful?

·   His promises for us will get delayed.

·   But God has given us the provision and access to come back to Him always in repentance and receive those promises in our lives.

·   That’s what we see in this passage in regard to the life of Israel.

·   We see God’s promise of blessings in spite of the unfaithfulness of His people, Israel.

 Background:

·   The background of the passage is seen in the previous chapter 43, specially, from verses 14 to 28.

·   Israel has sinned and became unfaithful before God.

·   V. 22 says, “Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob,

    you have not wearied yourselves for me O Israel.”

They failed in seeking God and went away from him.

·   V. 23 says, “You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,

    nor honored me with your sacrifices.”

They failed in pleasing God and honoring Him

·   The last part of v. 24 says, “But you have burdened me with your sins

    and wearied me with your offenses.”

They sinned against God and offended him much.

·   Though they have sinned, God’s gracious promise of deliverance and blessings are still waiting for them.

·   V. 25 says, “ I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

·   We see a God who wants to blot out their transgressions completely.

·   And He never wants to remember their sins anymore.

·   It is people who remember past sins

·   And it is Satan who reminds us of our past sins and entices us to live on guilt.

·   But God’s nature is different.  He is a God who forgives as well as forgets our transgressions when we come to him in repentance.

·   How can God do this? 

·   It is possible with only God because of His mercy.

·   Psalm 103:8 says, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  

·   God in His mercy postpones the punishment that is to come upon His people.

·   That’s why the chapter 44 begins with ‘But.’

·   “But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, …”

·   Jacob and Israel go together to refer to the people of Israel.

·   Israel is the new name given to Jacob after his night of wrestling (W.W.F.) with the Angel of the Lord at Peniel.

·   God said, “your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel” (God strives)

·   The renaming is confirmed at Bethel where the Almighty God appeared to him and said, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” (Gen. 35:10).

·   Hereafter Israel appears throughout the Old Testament as an occasional synonym for Jacob.

·   We also see in v.2 that Israel is called “Jeshurun.”

·   This name was given to them by Moses (Deuteronomy 32:15).

·   It is a poetic variant of the name Israel.

·   It comes from the Hebrew root jashar, simply means, “upright,’ “perfect,” “beloved one.”

·   The people of Israel are called, the upright, the perfect one or the beloved one.

Application:

·   As people of God we must know the fact that our God loves us.

·   Our God calls us ‘the upright ones,’ ‘the perfect ones,’ ‘the beloved.’

·   This is not because we are completely perfect, but this is the position of one who is in Christ Jesus.

·   Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

·   It is because He set us free from the law of sin and death.

·   We are a new creation and so precious in the sight of God.

·   So God’s people are blessed people.  They are happy ones.

  Main Points:

·   Our text, Isaiah 44:1-8 talks about the basis on which God’s people are happier.

·   What are the bases of their happiness?

·   The text talks about two bases:

1.      On the basis of the Covenant that is between God and His people (vv. 1-5):

·   That the Israel of God is a happy people especially upon the account of the covenant that is between them and God.

2.      On the basis of God’s being and character (vv. 6-8):

·   That, as the people of God are a happy people, so the God of Israel is a great God, and he is God alone. 

·   This speaks abundant satisfaction to all that trust in Him.

 I. THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE (vv. 1-5)

·   This is the covenant between God and His people – the alliance with God.

·   Our blessing is on the basis of this covenant.

·   The Hebrew word used here is Hesed – means, the covenant love with God.

·   Yahweh entered into a covenant agreement with His people Israel at Sinai

 3 things complete their happiness under this covenant:

1. The Covenant – relations (vv. 1-2)

2. The Covenant-blessings (vv. 3-4)

3. Their Allegiance to God’s Covenant (vv. 5)

 1. The Covenant – relations (vv. 1-2)

·   In this relation the people of God stand for God

 3 types of relationship are mentioned here under this covenant-

        relation:

 1. They are His servants.

·   We see the phrase, “O Jacob, my servant.”

·   It is a significant term referring to the nation of Israel.

·   This term is little more clearly seen in Chapter 44: 21:

“Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel, I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you.”

·   In chapter 41: 8-9, the Prophet says,

“ But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you; I will uphold you with my righteous right h and.”

·   Why the nation of Israel is quite often addressed as His servants?

·   It is with the intension that they must not serve other masters.

·   For example, if we take the case of an idolater, he or she is the servant of the idols.

·   As far as Israel was concerned, they were the servants of a better Master.

·   One thing that God could not tolerate with His people was that quite often they forgot their Master and turned to idols.

·   What were the first two commandments when God gave commandments to the people of Israel through Moses?

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:3-4)

·   Our God is a jealous God because He entered a covenant relation with His people.

Application:

·   This is very much applicable to us as the New Testament Israel.

·   The questions that come to us are various:

·   Are we the servants of idols?

·   Do we go after other gods? –I mean money/jobs/material possession.

·   I have come across Christians, I mean, the so-called believers who sit before fortunetellers and show their palm in front of the palmists at the roadside to know their future and fortune.

·   There are Christians who go after mandravadis and witchcraft.

·    I don’t think we can serve two masters.

·   Do we still believe or seek after other savior figures?

·   Or Is Jesus the only Lord and Savior in our life?

·   Today many are caught up with materialism.

·   Are we the servants of materialism?

·   Do we go after money, power, positions, and popularity?

·   What is the underlying purpose of our service to God as well as the society?

·   God never wants us to be a slave of anything or anyone.

·   He wants us to be his servants and Him alone.

·   Moses is often called the servant of the Lord (Deut 34:5; Josh. 1:2).

·   Daniel was called the servant of the living God (Dan. 6:20)

·   Apostle Paul always claimed himself to be the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

·   Apostle Jude was the brother of Jesus. Still he introduced him in his letter as the servant of Jesus Christ.

·   Dear people of God we must know the fact that we are the servants of the Most High God.

·   Nobody can enslave us, but we are to serve the Lord Jesus and Him alone.

·   As servants we must bring glory and honor to our God.

·   For example, all of us like to attend marriage party.

·   If the food is not nice, we will blame only the master of the house and not the servants who prepared the food.

·   Sometimes guest come to our home?  The servant will prepare good tea and the Kochamma will take it very proudly and give to the guest.

·   When they are about to go they will say, “Thank you so much for the tea and that was a good tea or food.”

·   Nobody will look for the servant lady who prepared the tea or the whole food from morning till evening to say thanks.

·   The master of the house got all the credit.

·   This is what we do as servants of the living God.

·   We bring all the glory and honor to our God through all what we are doing.

·   What do we mean by serving the Lord?

·   What kind of service we have to render to people?

·   The Lord said to Apostle Paul in Acts 26: 16- 18,

“Now get up and stand on your feet.  I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have see of me and what I will show you… I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

·   This is what we mean by service.

·   To open the eyes of the blind … to turn them from darkness to light … to snatch them from the power of Satan to God…

·   Wherever we are, whatever we do, as Christians, we are to be witnesses of what we have seen of the Lord Jesus Christ and experienced in our life.

·   What have we seen and experienced?  Two things:

1. Forgiveness of Sins     2. Our place in God’s Kingdom.

·   So as a result of our service, people must receive forgiveness of sins and they must have a place in God’s Kingdom along with us.

·   It is also associated with the phrase, “I have chosen you”

 2. They are Chosen Ones

·   The second thing that makes God’s people happier is that they are chosen ones.

·   God and he alone chose the people of Israel.

·   So the Lord is faithful to abide by his choice.

·   Why God has chosen the people of Israel?  To be his servants!

·   Why God had chosen Israel to serve him in a special way?

·   It is not because God found something unique and special among the Israelites.

·   They had been chosen with a purpose.

·   God wanted this nation to be the light for other nations around them.

·   God wanted the people of other nations to come to know Yahweh through the life and witness of Israel.

Application:

·   God demands the same thing to us as believers of the new covenant.

·   Jesus says in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.”

·   How blessed and happier we are when we know that you and I are chosen by God.

·   We are chosen to bear fruit.

·   Jesus further said in v. 19, “I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

·   This world is not always favorable to God’s people, because we do not belong to this world, but we belong to the Lord.

·   1Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Why did God choose us?

·   Why he made us a royal priesthood?

·   Why God made us a holy nation?

·   Why he made us a people belonging to him?

·   It is that you and I may declare the praises of him who called us from darkness into his wonderful light.

·   How many of us really believe that God has saved and brought us from darkness into this marvelous light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ?

·   Being God’s chosen ones He wants us to do good and bear fruit so that others may see our good deeds, holiness, devotion to the Lord, loyalty to God and we glorify God and Him alone!

·   By seeing this others will fear the Lord and will want to come under this choice.

 3. They are His Creation

·   V. 2 says, “This is what the Lord says – he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you.”

·   He made us and formed us in the womb.

·   David says, in Psalm 139: 14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

·   I thank God for his wonderful creation of human.

·   Because he created us he will help us over our difficulties and help in our services.

·   So his promise comes to His people – “Do not be afraid.”

·   This promise is only to those who are his servants and chosen ones.

·   God’s promises and assurance are so great.

·   We read in Isaiah 43:1, “But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

·   What are the things that sometimes frighten us?

·   Deep waters – we are afraid whether we will drown

·   Overflowing rivers – we wonder how to cross over the other side.

·   Blazing fire – we fear whether we will be consumed by the fire.

·   Our God who created and chosen offers us the assurance of protection.

·   Is. 43:2 says,

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you;

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

·   David says in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;…”

·   Why God can protect us?

·   He is our creator!

·   Because he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.(Ps. 103:14)

·   He is powerful!  He has won the victory for us.

Application:

·   Dear people of God, let’s cling on to those promises of God and live.

·   Then we will be blessed and happier.

·   Then the fear and worries of this world will not overtake us.

Ø  When we go though financial crisis…

Ø  When we go through family problems…

Ø  When we go through the language problem and lack of understanding of subjects and teachers…

Ø  When we go through sickness…

Ø  When we go through some problem in our work places…

Ø  When we go through the experience of great waters, deep rivers fiery furnace

Ø  Even when we go through the valley of shadow of death…

·   Le the Word of the Lord sound in your ears, mind and the whole body…

FEAR NOT!   DO NOT BE AFRAID!

·   Take this passage, read it aloud, and be strengthened.

Mathew Philip © 2009

Scripture: Isaiah 44:1-8

 Subject: God’s promise of blessings in spite of unfaithfulness-2

 Theme: God’s people are happier and blessed

·   Our text, Isaiah 44:1-8 talks about the basis on which God’s people are happier.

·   What are the bases of their happiness?

·   The text talks about two bases:

1.      On the basis of the Covenant that is between God and His people (vv. 1-5):

·   That the Israel of God is a happy people especially upon the account of the covenant that is between them and God.

2.      On the basis of God’s being and character (vv. 6-8):

·   That, as the people of God are a happy people, so the God of Israel is a great God, and he is God alone. 

·   This speaks abundant satisfaction to all that trust in Him.

 I. THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE (vv. 1-5)

·   This is the covenant between God and His people – the alliance with God.

·   Our blessing is on the basis of this covenant.

3 things complete their happiness under this covenant:

1. The Covenant – relations (vv. 1-2)

2. The Covenant-blessings (vv. 3-4)

3. Their Allegiance to God’s Covenant (vv. 5)

The first thing that completes their happiness is the covenant relations

We have seen that the covenant relations make God’s people happier by knowing that we are his servants, we are his choice and we are his creation and we belong to Him alone.

By being his servants, we have a better master

By being his choice, we have only one choice to worship him.

By being his creation, we have a creator who is in control of everything and gives us the promise “Fear not.”

2. The Covenant-blessings (vv. 3-4)

·   The second thing that completes their happiness is the covenant blessings.

·   God is promising a lot of blessings for his people

·   V.3 says, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

·   V.4. Says, “They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.”

·   This is a promise of blessing for the land and the people.

·   Their land will be fertile and people and their generation will be blessed spiritually and physically.

·   Our God is the one who heals our nation

·   He is not only concerned about our spiritual blessing, but also our material blessings.

·   Those who are barren, as the dry ground, shall be watered with grace of God.

·   If anyone thinks that he or she is self-sufficient, God can’t fill them and bless them.

·   Do you feel dry and thirst for God’s Word?  Come to Jesus.

·   Do you remember what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman? “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4: 13-14)

·   Jesus said in John 6:35, “ I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry; and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

·   On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whomever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7: 37-38)

·   By this he meant the Holy Spirit that is to come upon those who believe in Him.

·    Isaiah is referring to the Same Spirit of God in v.4.

·   What God promises here is that he will pour out his Spirit upon His people and their coming generation.

·   This promise is associated with the messianic age in ch. 32:15 and Joel 2:28.

·   Isaiah 32:15 says, “till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.”

·   Joel 2:28 says, “ And afterward,

 I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

Your old men will dream dreams,

Your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

·   It happened on the Day of Pentecost and still continues in this Messianic age.

·   God’s Word says, “ask it shall be given.”

·   If we ask the Lord this morning –

Ø  Lord fill me with the knowledge of your will

Ø  Fill me with your wisdom

Ø  Fill me with your power

Ø  Fill me with the Holy Spirit

·   He is right here in our midst to give you as much as we want.

·   The Lord wants to bless you and fill you with His Spirit.

·   The question is whether we want it or are we thirsty enough to receive Him?

·   The power of the Holy Spirit is needed for His people to be servants and witnesses!

  3. Their Allegiance to God’s Covenant (vv. 5)

·   The third thing that makes God’s people happier is their allegiance to God’s covenant.

·   As God’s people become obedient to the covenant of God, they will spring up like grass in a meadow.

·   It talks about luxuriant growth of God’s people – their prosperity.

·   V.5 says, “One will say I belong to the Lord.” – It talks about the ownership of God’s people.

·   Again it says, “Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and will take the name Israel – It refers to the conversion of Gentiles.

·   The Gentiles, as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Israel, shall join themselves to the children of Jacob, in order to worship the God of Israel.

Application:

·   What does it speak to us?

·   We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

·   People who belong to the Lord will always experience blessings and happiness in their lives.

·   Let others see the love, joy, peace, and the power of the Holy Spirit that we experience from God’s presence, so that they may also come and share the same with us.

·   So let’s proclaim the ownership of God over us.

Let us say together, “I Belong to the Lord.”

You write in your paper, “THE LORD’S” and shout together, “The Lord’s.”

II.GOD’S BEING AND CHARACTER (VV. 6-8):

·   The second basis of our blessing and happiness is on who God is and what his character is.

 Isaiah says,

q  God is the King of Israel!

q  He is the Redeemer of His people!

q  He is the Almighty God!

q  He is the first and the last!

q  There is no one apart from Him!

q  There is no one like Him!

q  He is the Rock!

·   So His people must be happy and rejoice on what He is.

·   The God we trust in is a God of incontestable sovereignty and irresistible power.

·   He is self-existent and self-sufficient.

·   He is the Lord of hosts – all the hosts of heaven and earth, of angels and human being.

·   He is God from everlasting, before the world was, and will be so to everlasting.

·   He is God alone.  There is no God besides Jehovah.  He is all-sufficient and therefore there needs no other.

·   His people needed not to hope in any other God.

·   They needed not to fear any other god.

As the King, he doesn’t share His rule with any one – simply means we, as God’s people have no others ruling over us apart from Our God.

As the Redeemer, our redemption comes from nowhere other than from our God.

As God being the Rock, he is a stronghold to take refuge in and a solid foundation to build on.

·   We find our refuge in no one else.

·   The only place we can hide ourselves is in Him.

·   What else we need to be blessed and happy?

·   Application:

·   Dear people of God, knowing Him fully and intimately will help us to know who He is and acknowledge His ownership over us.

·   Let’s continue to proclaim our allegiance to our God.

·   Let God be in the first place in our life.

·   We will be blessed and we will be happy.

 Conclusion

Friends, the bases of our blessings and happiness are two:

1. The covenant between God and us.
2. It depends on who God is in our life.

·   We are in a covenant relationship with God.

·   So we enjoy the covenant blessings

·   And we are obliged to become obedient to the covenant.

·   We must keep on proclaiming allegiance to our God.

·   It is because He is our King, redeemer, and the Rock

·   We find no rule, no salvation, and no refuge in anyone else other than our Lord Jesus!

 Mathew Philip © 2009

Scripture: Luke 11:1-4

Subject   : Jesus Teaching on Prayer

Theme    : How to come to the Lord in Prayer     

Background (1:1)

·      Jesus was praying in a certain place.

·      The place is not mentioned here

·      When he finished praying, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

·      It was because they heard John’s disciples were praying in different places.

·      John taught his disciples how to pray.

·      So Jesus’ disciples wanted to learn how to pray

·      Do you see any need of learning how to pray?

·      Is prayer something that we need to learn?

·      I definitely see the need of learning how to pray.

·      In many places in the Bible, we see different teachings on prayer.

·      It is written specially that we should not pray like gentiles: repeating the prayers so many times. They keep on babling for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

·      We need to learn how to pray in public.

·      Especially we must learn to pray in different context.

·      In some public meetings or Sunday Worship services, I have heard people praying for a long time like they pray during fasting prayer.

·      Here in this context, disciples meant public prayer. 

·      They wanted to learn how to pray in public.

·      So Jesus began to teach them.  Firstly he gave them a model of prayer (vv.2-4).  Secondly he told them a parable on how to pray (vv. 5-8).  Thirdly, he taught them why should they pray (vv. 9-13)

·      We will look into the model of prayer today and see what the Lord has taught His disciples.

·      We know that Jesus gave a model/charter of prayer.

We call this as the LORD’S PRAYER

Father

Hallowed be your name

Your Kingdom Come

Give us each day our daily bread

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.

1.      Father

·   First of all we see the address - Jesus is addressing his Father.

·   This tells us that Jesus had a right relationship with his Father

·   Jesus always pleased his Father.

·   He said in John 5:30, “for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

·   Once he said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me.” (John 4:34).

·   In another occasion he said, “Not my will but thy will be done.” (Mtt. 26:39)

·   Do we have a right relationship with our heavenly Father?

·   If we do not have, then we will not be able to come to his presence at any time and call him “Abba Father.”

·   When Adam and Eve sinned they could not come to the presence of God. 

·   They were hiding.  God came down and asked, “Adam Where are you?

·   The same question may repeat to us also!  “Mathew, where are you?”

·   Example, My twin girls: They will not come near to me if they have done something wrong at home.

·   We must maintain an unbroken relationship with our God.  

·   Then we will have enough confidence to come to his presence with our prayers and supplications.

·      Secondly this tells me about humility. 

·      This something like, a child calls its father.

·      James 4: 6 says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

·      Luke 14:11 says, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

·      God cannot fill the heart of a self-sufficient person.

·      When we come to the presence of God, we must come with the heart of a child.

·      A child is innocent, willing to obey, willing to say sorry and willing to learn.

·      Application: When we come to the Lord in prayer

1.   We must come with a right relationship with God

2.   We must come with humility.

·      Then the Lord will certainly answer our prayers.

2.    Hallowed be your name

·      Let your name be sanctified.  God is holy and his name is holy.

·      His name is great and it is above all the names of this world.

·      This teaches me that we must come to the presence of the Lord with much reverence to his name.

·      We must give due respect to God when we come to the Lord in prayer.

·      God asks in Malachi 1:6, “If I am father, where is the honor due to me? If I am a master where is the respect due to me?”

·   God is asking this to the priests of Israel who defiled his name by offering injured, crippled or diseased animals as sacrifice.

·   What kind of offering we bring to the Lord when we come to His presence?

·   Apostle Paul exhorts us in Romans 12 :1 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

·   If it’s dead, unholy and not pleasing, then the Lord will not answer our prayers.

·   Luke 10:27 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”

·   So if we love him with half heart, half soul, half strength and half mind, do we think that the Lord will please in us? Never!

·   Psalmist says, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart (Ps. 9:1)

·   So if we praise him and seek him with half heart, will we be able to find Him?

·   Bible talks a lot about worshipping God with the whole heart, pure heart, upright heart, and perfect heart. 

·   Again in Malachi 1:11 we see the Lord says, “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun.  In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations.”

·   So the question is, how much reverential, fearful and respectful are we in God’s presence?

·   Application: When we come to the Lord in prayer, we must come with much reverence. 

·   Then the Lord will be pleased in us and answer our prayers.

3. Your Kingdom Come

·   What is God’s Kingdom?  It is his rule

·   This tells us that we need to submit ourselves to God’s rule over our lives. 

·   How far his rule is extended? 

·   Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

·   He is the King of glory. 

·   Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.”

·   He again says in 6:15, ‘God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

·   We His subjects, must submit to the will of our King.

·   Application:  When we come to the Lord in prayer, we must come with submission to the will of God.

·   Then the Lord will make us and mold us as he wishes.

4. Give us each day our daily bread.

·   We are asked to pray only for our daily needs and not for the needs of another five years.

·   This teaches me that I need to daily depend up on God for my needs.

·   God wants us to trust in him.

·   God wants to make sure that we depend only on him for our needs, and not on any other gods or sources.

·   Psalm 118:8-9 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

·   In God only we can trust.

·   It is because, once God makes a promise, he will fulfil it. 

·   He is not a man that he should lie.

·   People of this world may fail, but Jesus will never fail.

·   That does not mean that we cannot trust in people, our parents, relatives, friends, and leaders.

·   What it means is that we can trust the Lord for people, for our parents, for our friends, for our leaders.

·   It is because the Lord is the one who works in the heart of others and makes them favorable to us.

·   So it is better to trust in the Lord than anyone else.

·   Application: When we come to the Lord in prayer, we must come with much dependence and trust.

·   Then the Lord will bless us and answer our prayers.

5. Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

·   It is talking about a penitent heart – a heart of repentance - a forgiving heart.

·   Whatever may be our sins, Jesus is right here to wash us and cleanse us.

·   The blood that is shed on the Cross of Calvary is sufficient for the salvation of the entire world.

·   Every day we need to ask the Lord for forgiveness.

·   It is because we live in a sinful world.

·   Romans 7 says that there is always a fight between our flesh and the spirit.

·   Galatians 5:17 says that the sinful nature is against the spiritual nature. They are in conflict with each other.

·   But there is no condemnation for those who are already in Christ.

·   Jesus Christ has won 100% victory over every sin and evil spiritual force on the Cross (Gal. 5:19-21).

·   His victory is our victory.

·   The Lord forgives our sins and gives us victory

·   So also we should forgive others. 

·   we can not pray in the presence of God with an unforgiving heart.

·   Application: When we come to the Lord in prayer, we must come with a penitent  and forgiving heart

·   Then we will be able to experience God’s forgiveness in our lives.

6. And lead us not into temptation.

·   It is with a desire to live a holy and victorious life.

·   All of us go through temptations in our lives.

·   We go through almost every kind of temptation, because we live in a sinful world with a sinful flesh.

·   Temptation itself is not sin, but when we yield to temptation, it becomes sin.

·   Jesus is our perfect example.  He went through temptation, but never yielded to any of the temptation.

·   How did he do that?  He did it with the Word of God.

·   So he was sinless and victorious. 

·   Therefore, we too can take victory over every sin with the Word of God.

·   If our desire is to be victorious in our Christian life,

·   If our desire is to live a holy life,

·   The Lord will always honor our desire and he will help us to be successful.

·   That is why we need to come to the Lord with the prayer that he may keep us safe from all temptations.

·   Application: When we come to the Lord in prayer, we must come with holy aspiration.

·   Then he will honor our desire to be holy and victorious.

Conclusion:

Whenever we come to the Lord in prayer, let’s come

With right relationship & Humility

With reverence

With submission

With dependence & trust

With Penitent heart & forgiving spirit

With holy aspiration.

hear and answer our prayers. Our Lord will surely

 Mathew Philip © 2009

Scripture: Luke 11: 5-8

Subject  : Jesus Teaching on Prayer

Theme    : How to Pray

The Background

·         Jesus was praying in a certain place.

·         The place is not mentioned here

·         When he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

·         It was because they heard John’s disciples were praying in different places.

·         John taught his disciples how to pray.

·         So Jesus’ disciples wanted to learn how to pray

·         Do you see any need of learning how to pray?

·         Is prayer something that we need to learn?

·         I definitely see the need of learning how to pray.

·         In many places in Bible we see different teachings on prayer.

·         It is written specially that we should not pray like gentiles: repeating the prayers so many times. They keep on babbling for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

·         We need to learn how to pray in public – the method &  content

·         Especially we must learn to pray in different context.

·         We can not pray “Lord Give us each day our daily bread” or “Lead us not into temptation” in a time of funeral.

·         In some public meetings or Sunday Worship services, I have heard people praying for a long time like they pray in fasting prayer.

·         Here in this context, disciples meant public prayer. 

·         They wanted to learn how to pray in public.

·         So Jesus began to teach them.  Firstly he gave them a model of prayer (vv.2-4).  Secondly he told them a parable on how to pray (vv. 5-8).  Thirdly, he taught them why should they pray (vv. 9-13)

Introduction

·      Today we will focus on the passage that lays from vv. 5-8

·      This is a parable Jesus told his disciples to teach them how to pray.

·      This is the parable of a friend.

·      The story goes like this…

·      One day there was a man. 

·      A friend of him came to him at midnight after a long journey.

·      He had nothing to give him to eat. 

·      So he went to his friend who stayed nearby. 

·      Since it was at midnight, this man’s friend was in deep sleep, specially with his children.

·      When he knocked at the door, his friend said that there was no way to get up and help him.

·      This friend did not leave the place.  He very boldly continued to knock.

·      Finally, because of this friend’s persistence, his friend got up and gave him as much as he needed.

·      What do we have to learn from this story?

·      Jesus communicated to us so many truths about prayer through this small story.

1.      Let us look at v.5

·      We observe a particular word occurring in this verse : the word ‘friend’

·      What does it convey to us?

·      This tells us that our PRAYER MUST BE BASED ON A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

·      What is the advantage of having a friendly relationship?

·      We usually open up everything to our close friends.

·      We may not be able to tell everything to our parents/brother or sister/relatives.

·      But we can tell everything to our friends.

·      Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

·      That is the beauty of having a close friend.  It simply means a close friend is better than many companions or even one’s own brother.

·      Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times.”

·      In the Old Testament we see Abraham was given a title, “The friend of God” because of his close relationship with God and his faithfulness (2 Chro.20:7; Jas. 2:23)

·      In the New Testament, we see Jesus addresses Lazarus as his friend (John 11:11)

·      John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

·      A true friend is ready to lay down his life for his friends.

·      Jesus relates to us as friend.  That is why he laid down his life for us.

·      He says in v. 14. You are my friends if you do what I command.

·      V. 15 says, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

·      See how wonderful it is to be known as Jesus’ friends!

·      We often sing the hymn, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus.’

·      It is because he bears all our sins and grieves.

·      He is faithful – He shares our sorrows.  Jesus died for us not to take away all our pains and sorrows, but to share in it and to show how victoriously we can come out of it.

·      He knows our weaknesses.  He cries with those who cry and sympathizes with those who sympathies. 

·      He is our refuge – He is a well-timed helper

·      He will never despise or forsake us.

·      He will take us in his arms and shield us.

·      We will always find a solace in his arms.

·      Only Jesus can do this. 

·      The people of this world may let us down, but Jesus will never fail.  He always comes to us as a true friend. 

·      How much we must long to have this friendship with our Lord Jesus Christ!

·      To a boss, we need an introduction when we speak something, to a leader or teacher we need an introduction, but to a friend, there is no formality.

·      We can go to the presence of God and speak to him freely. He is always there to help us.

2.      Let us look at v. 5 again

·      We observe another phrase, “he goes to him at midnight”

·      What does it talk to us?

·      This tells us that our PRAYER CAN BE DONE AT ANY TIME..

·      There is no time limit for our prayer.  We can come to the Lord in prayer at any time.

·      In the 0ld Testament:

·      We see a Hannah standing up and praying in the temple even after the service was over (1 Sam.1:9).

·      We see a Daniel praying three times a day.

·      We read about a Nehemiah weeping and praying while he was serving in King’s palace.

·      The sons of Korah say in Psalm 88:13, “But I cry to you for help O Lord, in the morning my prayer comes before you.”

·      In the New Testament:

·      We see Jesus many times praying in the night

·      We read about Peter and Silas praising God in chains at midnight.

·      We see Disciples crying to the Lord for help at the 4th watch of the night.

·      4th watch of the night – around 3-4 0’ clock in the morning – no human eye could see the trouble of the disciples, but there is a Jesus who is always watching over his people.

·      At any time – even in midnight.  I don’t think any religious place will be opened at midnight for their devotees!

·      If at all they open, well, that may be only in some seasons.

·      But the door of the heaven is always open for you and me!

Application

·      So friends, we can approach the throne of grace at any time and call him Abba Father!

·      We can pray to him while we drive, while we are in the kitchen, while we do our daily exercise, while shop around….any time…we can talk to Him.

3.      Look at the third phrase in v. 5, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread…”

·      He did not say “give me some” or “give me whatever you have.”

·      He asked only for three loaves of bread, because he knew that his friend needed only that much.

·      What does this teach me?

·      It teaches me that my prayer must DEFINITE and SPECIFIC.

·      Our prayers are often too generic. – Lord bless this man or that man – but what kind of a blessing? Or what does he need?

·      We will pray , Lord bless the Seminary – But, in what way? What is the specific thing you want the Seminary to accomplish?

·      When we study the prayers in the Bible, we see all of them are specific prayers. 

·      For example, Apostle Paul prays for the Colossians (19-12): he is not praying that the Lord may bless them all and then finishing his prayer.  But he mentions each and every thing they needed in their life.  Praying for God’s wisdom, knowledge, for God’s strength, praying that they may bear fruit and different other matters.

·      It is not that God doesn’t know what we are asking for.

·      But he wants to make sure whether we really know what exactly we are praying for.

·      We must know exactly what we are asking, then only we will know the answer to that particular prayer.

·      So let us come to God in prayer with specific needs and names of people

4.      See v. 6: “A friend of mine”

·      “A friend of mine on a journey has come to me.”

·      He is asking nor for himself, but for his friend.

·      This tells me that my PRAYER IS TO BE INTERCESSION FOR OTHERSs.

·      Often we pray for ourselves, our family, our children, and our church.

·      It is sometimes selfish prayer.  But prayer should never be selfish.

·      Apostle Paul is the best example.

·      We see him praying for Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, and many others.

·      Do you know the secret of praying for others?

·      The Lord will first of all bless you and meet your need. 

·      If you pray for the financial need of your friend to be met, I believe the Lord will first of all meet your need.

·      If you pray for your sick friends, I definitely believe that the Lord will touch you and heal you in times of sickness.

·      So, let’s pray for others, not that we may be blessed always, but others may find that Jesus is the one who can meet their needs.

·      Let us pray for the salvation of many around us.

5.      Look at v. 6 again: “I have nothing to set before him.”

·      He tells his friend about his exact position – “see I am not in a position to give him anything.”  “I have nothing at home to give him.”

·      What do I understand from this?

·      Our PRAYER IS DONE WITH EARNEST DESPERATION.

·      We must be in a desperate condition to receive something from the Lord.

·      We must be in our helplessness that we come before God.

·      We must acknowledge that our ability, our resources or our means will not help, but only God can work for us.

·      Zec. 4:6 says, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty

·      We must agree that we have nothing to please him and we need his help.

·      For example,

·      In Genesis 32: 26 we see a Jacob wrestling with God, saying, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” – The answer:  He got a new name, Israel.

·      In 1 Sam. 1:10 we read, “In the bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.”  - The answer: The Lord gave her a son.

·      2 King 20:2-3: The King Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. And he wept bitterly – The answer: The Lord added 15 more years to his life.

·      John 11:33: Jesus saw Mary falling down at his feet and weeping – The answer: He raised Lazarus.

·      We must be desperate when we come to the presence of God in regards to our needs the needs of others.

·      If we are broken in our heart and crushed in our spirit before the Lord, he will always save us.

·      Psalm 51:17 says, “…a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

·      God knows the best for us, and he will do the best for us.

6.      V. 7: “Don’t bother me… I can’t get up and give you anything.”

·      These are discouraging words.   The answer is delayed here.

·      SOMETIMES THE ANSWER MAY GET DELAYED.

·      Don’t get disappointed.  We need to keep on asking.  That’s what the following verses tell us.

·      God has a purpose in everything that he answers.  He has his own time. 

·      Consider that His purpose is best for us.  His timing is best for us. 

·      We need to wait patiently for his answer.

·      His delay does not mean that we are forgotten.

7.      Look at v. 8:  We see the phrase, “because of man’s boldness.”

·      Even though our friend got a very discouraging answer, he was not disappointed.

·      He did not go from there.  He waited for his friend to get up. 

·      He was boldly standing there and kept on knocking.

·      What does it talk to me?

·      PRAYER IS ALWAYS IMPORTUNATE – Urgent /pressing / craving with troubling application.

·      The man knocked at midnight – he pressed his claim – and because of his importunity his friend supplied his need.

·      When we come to the Lord, let’s come with urgency – urgency of saving the perishing souls.  Urgency of meeting our friend’s needs.

·      It is because the Lord wants us to understand how desperate we are about something that we ask for.

·      Let us take the needs before God with urgency and desperation.

·      Let the Lord see the urgency, the pressing and craving in our needs.  The Lord will answer.

8.      Let’s read v. 8 again: It is written, “He will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

·      Because of the man’s boldness, his friend will get up and give him as much as he needs.

·      What do I learn from this?

·      OUR PRAYER IS GLORIOUSLY REWARDED.

·      When God answers our prayers he does it perfectly.

·      When he gives something, he gives according to his status, glory and riches.

·      Phil. 4:19:  “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

·      He is a great God and he does everything greatly.

·      So let’s continue to pray and he will answer.

Conclusion:

·      When we come to the Lord in prayer, our prayer

1.is to be based on a friendly relationship.

2.can be done at any time.

3.is definite and specific.

4.must be intercession for others

5.is always importunate

6.is gloriously rewarded.

·      So Let’s approach the throne of grace with this confidence.  The Lord is faithful to answer our prayers.

 Mathew Philip © 2009

Scripture: Luke 11:9-13

Subject: Jesus Teaching on Prayer

Theme: Result of Prayer

Introduction

·   Why every Christian should pray?

·   When we do something in our life, we are quite sure that it will give us a result.

·   Some thing that we do is sure to produce results.

For example:

1.Our Gardens:

·   When we fertilize, water, and cultivate our gardens, we are sure to have a harvest of fresh vegetables or flowers.

·   Otherwise, we don’t simply waist our time and energy for it.

2.Exercise Program:

·   Because of the type of job, some of us need a regular exercise program. 

·   When we exercise, whether it is cricket or jogging, we are sure to relax nervous muscle tension.

·   We are also sure that this will strengthen our circulatory and breathing systems, and gain physical endurance.

·   Even so in the Kingdom of God, some things we do are sure to produce results.

·   Our Scripture passage proves that every Christian should pray.

·   Every Christian should pray because it is sure to produce 2 types of results.

I. Prayer Always Receives an Answer (Luke 11:9-10)

·   Look at all the Bible prayers.  All of them received the answer.

·   We see Abraham, Moses, Hannah, Samuel, Kings, prophets and all others; all of them received an answer from the Lord.

A.     Why Prayer always receives an Answer?

·   In different Scripture verses God has promised to hear and answer our prayers.

·   Jer. 33:3: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”

·   Psalm 50:15: “Call upon m in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me.”

·   He is not a man that He should lie.

·   Answering prayer is a divine law of God’s dealings with us.

·   Here also in our passage Christ himself promised that “everyone who asks shall receive.”

·   Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

·   God has already promised that he would answer, and so we always get an answer to our prayer.

B. Exposition of 7:7-8

·   Now we will see exposition of these two verses.

·   We know that this is the charter of prayer.

·   Still it lays certain obligations upon us.

·   The force of the original text (Greek) is a command to ‘keep on doing something.’

·   Jesus is saying, “go on asking, go on seeking, go on knocking.”

·   It talks to us of the importance of persisting in prayer.

·   Why should we persist in prayer?  Doesn’t God know our needs?

·   I believe that it is for us to know how much we are serious about what we are asking for.

·   Then only we will be able to know the value of the answer too and thus glorify God.

·   Apostle Paul exhorts us ‘to pray continually’ in 1 Thes. 5:17

·   Our God is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him.

·   We are to pray until we “pray through”

·   We should never get disappointed in praying. 

·   We need to continue to pray believing that God will answer our prayers.

C. What kind of Answers?

·   What kind of answers does prayer receive since it always receives and answer?

·   There are 3 answers -  “Yes”,    “No”,    “Wait.”

·   I have experienced these three types of answers in my life.

·   Someone might say, “Well, God didn’t answer my prayer.”

·   Another may inquire, “How is that?”     “Well, He said, ‘No’”  That’s an answer!

·   We need to be sensitive to the voice of God and understand his will about the matter we pray for.

·   We need to see whether we are asking something that will bring glory to the Lord.

·   The Lord will definitely guide His people who seek him in matters of needs.

·   We must be willing to be patient enough to listen to the Lord.

·   We must also be tolerant enough to receive any kind of answer.

·   If the answer is “No,” believe that God has some other plan for you.  And his plan is always the best plan for us.

·   His ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are always much higher than our thoughts.

·   If the answer is “Wait,” believe that God has a larger plan and purpose in and for our life.

D. How Does Prayer receive an answer?

·   We have seen that prayer always receives an answer.

·   What are some of the ways through which answer is communicated?

1.      Through a Scripture verse

2.      Through an inner witness of the Spirit (Col.3:15 - "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...")

3.      Through circumstances

4.      Through another individual

5.      Through an act of divine deliverance.

E. Application:

·   Prayer is sure to produce results

·   It always receives an answer.

·   Let this fact inspire us to pray and keep on praying.

·   We must also notice one more thing in the Bible, that is, people of God fasted along with prayer whenever there was a crisis or pressing need.

·   For example, in 2Chro. Hc.20, we see the enemies came to fight against the King Jehoshaphat.

·   Do you know what he did? He did three things:

1.      He proclaimed a fast – A call for fasting

2.      He gathered all the people – A call for unity

3.      He stood up in the assembly of Judah and prayed - prayer

·   Another example is seen in the book of Esther.

·   When Haman plotted against Mordecai and the entire Jews, what did Esther do?

·   She gathered the entire Jews who were in Susa. She proclaimed a fast. She said, “Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.”

·   Whenever we come together, if these three things go together, UNITY, PRAYER & FASTING, there is much result.

·   Whenever we fast and prayer, that simply means, we seek God’s will first before we act up on that particular matter.

II. Prayer Always Receives a Right Answer (11:11-13)

·         God not only gives an answer always, but he gives always a right answer.

• It simply means he is not a God who gives duplicate or something that will resemble to the one we ask for.
• He will give exactly what we are asking or even more than our expectation.

 A. Interpretation of 11:11-13

·   If a son asks his father for fish, he will not give him a snake instead of fish.

·   If he asks for an egg, none of the fathers will give him a scorpion.

·   There is always a resemblance between the fish and snake.  Some fish look like water snakes (e.g. eel)

·   What is the resemblance between the egg and scorpion?

·   The scorpion found in the sand of Palestine, especially on the seashore is off-white in color and big in size.  When it finds its enemy, as a self-defense it rolls around and almost become like a small oval shaped ball (rugby-ball)

·   The point is the 2 things – fish and snake, and egg and scorpion

·   These both categories of creatures bare close resemblance.

·   Jesus asks would an earthly father mock his son’s hunger by giving him a substitute that bears a close resemblance to what he really needs?

·   Of course not!

·   So also with God, our heavenly Father.

·   Jesus says, “He will give good things to those who ask Him.”

·   Psalm 85: 12: “The Lord will indeed give what is good.”

·   He will never do evil to us.  He will give only what is good to His people.

·   God will not withhold anything that is good to us

·   God will not answer our prayers in a false way! 

·   Prayer will always receive a right answer.

B. Why Prayer always receives a right answer?

·   God answers our prayers in His perfect wisdom and love and so He cannot make a mistake.

·   People may not be able to give us what they promise, because they are human beings and quite often make mistake.

·   But God is not a man that he should make mistaken.

·   When sometimes, answer is delayed, or answer is “No” or answer is “wait”, never think that God is mistaken.

·   Sometimes if God answered our prayers, as we desired at the moment, it would be the worst thing for us.

·   He alone knows the future and He knows what is best for us.

·   So He will always give the right answer.

C. We see an example in 2 Cor 12:8-9.

·   Paul prayed to the Lord that He may remove some problem that he faced in his body – something that is described there as a thorn in the flesh.”  - (a messenger of Satan was tormenting him) may be a partial blindness/ head ache

·   He pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from him.

·   What was the Lord’s answer?  - “No”

·   “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

·   Why God did not take it away? – to keep him humble – that he might not be conceited because of the surpassingly great revelations he received from him.

D. We see another example in Acts 12:5-12.

·    Peter was kept in prison

·   The Church was earnestly praying to the God for his deliverance.

·   The answer was “Yes”

·   God sent his angel and rescued him from Herod’s clutches in a spectacular way.

E. Application

·   Our prayers are sure to produce results.

·   They will always receive a right answer.

·   So let’s go on asking, seeking, and knocking in the confidence of this fact.

Conclusion

·   Every Christian should pray because it is sure to produce results.

·   So then, let’s decide to keep on praying without disappointment.

·   Remember that in a 60-year life-time we generally append 20 years in bed and over 5 years at the dining room table.

·   Not much of our life is spent in prayer.

·   In a 60-year old life-time, you can add, if we were saved at the age of 20 and prayed an hour every day for the next 40 years of our life, we would only have spent 3.5 years of our whole lifetime in prayer!

·   This tells us how much more time we need to spend in prayer!

   Mathew Philip © 2009

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34

Subject: The problem of Worry

Theme: How to overcome the problem of worry.

Introduction

·         People everywhere face problems and difficulties in life.

·         As Christian, we are not exempt from the problem of worry.

·         We are especially worried when we go through distressing circumstances in life.

·         At the same time people have found out ways to overcome problems in life.

For example,

1.      Smallpox: This was the first disease conquered by mankind. It was a much-feared disease that struck down millions of people in death. In some war more soldiers died from smallpox than from combat. But vaccine, developed by Edward Jenner, conquered smallpox.

2.      Communication problem: Distant parts of the world can now be linked together in communication by satellites. Major news events can be shown in countries around the globe even as they take place. Mankind has overcome communication problems by earth-orbiting satellites.

·         So also, there are ways to overcome problems in our Christian lives.

·         The central truth in our passage is every Christian can overcome the problem of worry.

Main Points

·         How to overcome worry in life?

1.      We can overcome worry by realizing how valuable we are in God’s Sight (vv. 26-30)

A.    What do we mean by worry?

o   Worry – We become anxious or concerned about certain things and thus become troubled.

o   What are we concerned about? Bible says that we are concerned about life.

o   What is that bothers about life? V. 25 says that we are anxious about what will eat or drink; or what we will wear.

o   So we are concerned about food and cloths.

o   This simply means we are more concerned about the material things- basic necessities of life.

B.     What actually causes worry?

o   Our desire to fulfill our needs.

o   When we are not able to fulfill those wants and needs, we become disappointed and burdened.

o   That’s why Jesus said, Cast your burden up on me.

C.     What is the use of worrying? (v. 27)

o   We achieve nothing. We cannot add a single hour to our life by worrying.

o   We add only physical, emotional and social problems to our life.

D.    Why we are so valuable in God’s sight?

o   We are so precious to God because we are created in the imate and likeness of God.

o   Man was the goal of God’s creation and is unique because he is linked with the divine.

o   Though sin marred God’s image in people, people are still more valuable than all created things, than all worlds.

o   To God we are unique, indispensable, and absolutely irreplaceable (Gen. 9:6).

E.     Exposition of vv. 26-30

o   These verses show God’s concern for things less valuable than mankind.