Sermon Notes for July 27, 2008

Here's some initial notes on Sunday's sermon:

Do you have trouble with prayer?
- Not enough time
- Not enough will
- Not enough know-how
- Not enough faith
Well Jesus has a parable for you:
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed – read weed – that someone took and sowed in his field – read, you don’t sow weeds – it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.- read that it is out of control
- You don’t need much time (to pray)
- You don’t need much will
- You don’t need much know-how
- You don’t need much faith
Faith is going to grow (in you)
Just pray and not worry about getting it right
Even if your prayer is like a weed
Romans - Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
God helps us in our feeble, weed-like prayer
It’s up to God to get it right
We just have to try
Just try

So, Jesus told them another parable:
The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.
What you do need to do – is try.
- God provides the yeast
- God provides the flour
- God provides the water
- God provides the leaven
- God makes it grow
We provide the kneading
We knead to pray – read that both ways -

So, why bother?
Two reasons:
First,
- ‘Cause you want to.
Second reason just happens to be answered in a parable:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
- Joy
- There will be joy
- Prayer bring us the joy of knowing God
- The One who created us
- The One who loves us
- The One who risks it all for us

Okay, so we want to pray, we want a relationship with God
But, do we really? I mean really?
A parable:
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
- It’s worth it
- Spending time with God is worth every effort
- In fact, it’s worth a lifetime of searching

When it comes to prayer
We all get it wrong
But that’s okay, it’s God’s job to get it right
We just need to admit that we need prayer
And then to just do it
It worth it