Sermon Notes, July 28, 2019
Rev.
Garry McGlinchy
Pastor Garry’s sermon was titled “Shameless
Audacity,” and was based on Luke 11:1-13, Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Notice the order of the prayer: first, praise
for God; second make your request. When
we praise Him first it gets us in the right frame of mind to present our
request. We must approach Him with
humble hearts…otherwise our prayer may sound more like a child’s Christmas letter
to Santa rather than an open conversation with the creator. This passage focuses on three aspects of
prayer. 1. The content of prayer. 2. Our
persistence (boldness, shameless audacity).
3. God’s faithfulness!
Verse 3 God’s provisions for His children are daily. We can’t store them up and then cut Him out
of our lives. Pastor told a story about
a truck he had with two gas tanks. He’d
fill both tanks, and when one ran empty, he’d flip that switch for the reserve
tank and keep going. But guess
what? Sooner or later that reserve tank
would run out!
If you feel like you can’t go on
anymore, like your “low fuel” light is on…like you’re out of strength, out of
momentum, out of ideas on how to solve the problems of your life, then you need
to fill up, move closer to the Power source, consult the most creative problem
solver of all time…before you wind up stuck on the side of the road of life.
When we are spiritually running on
empty, we need to plug back into God.
Know this to be true: Know this
to be true self-satisfaction will only
get you so far. I was able to push that
old truck on my own for a little bit, but it was exhausting, and when I hit a
slight grade I was done…It almost rolled back over me!
Verse 4 In this lesson on prayer, Luke
highlights the aspect of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the very cornerstone on which
our relationship with God is built. The
point that Luke highlights is that we who have been forgiven must also
forgive. If we fail to take on the
role of the forgiver, then we continue to misunderstand our desperate need for
forgiveness. Think about it…what if
God treated you the same way you treat others?
Verse 8 Persistence – Boldness – Audacity in prayer
overcomes OUR sensitivity, not God’s. It
does more to change our hearts and minds than God’s. It also helps us to fully grasp and express
the intensity of our needs. That said,
it also helps to highlight God’s work in answering our prayers! Shameless
audacity is the key that opens life’s locked doors.
Verse 13 A good father is not perfect
in any way; however a good father will do his very best to provide for the
needs of his kids. That said, I’m
guessing that our Good and Perfect Father, God, takes care of HIS kids far
better than any earthly father. I mean,
not only did He provide a way for us to dwell in His very presence through the
death and resurrection of His Son, but He gave us the best gift of all …the
promised Holy Spirit!!
