Talking to God

Alright, uh as we begin, I want to begin with a little dad brag right here, okay?

A little dad brag.

Um last night, my son Miles, along with teammates Liam and Matthew, saw them here, won the CCS Championship for boys basketball, Willow Glenn High School.

And a come from behind when against the thriller, uh St.

Francis.

Miles hit the game tying score.

Um, the last time Willow Glenn won was in 1969, a CCS championship.

So this was historic.

Thank you, thank you.

Little dad bragg, and actually, this is their team sweatshirt, the Glenn.

Um, I love basketball.

You know, I just love this game.

Uh I actually know a bit about it.

I played it, I had the joy of coaching.

Fun fact uh last night is one of the boys that we played against was on a team that I coached with Miles that we won a championship in junior high, and it's fun to watch them go at it together.

Now, the reality is, as much as I love this game, basketball, basketball doesn't love me.

Right?

As much as I know about basketball, basketball, well, it really doesn't know me.

Why?

And you know this, we get this, it's just a game.

It's impersonal.

And to be honest, that's kind of how we feel about our experience with God.

Maybe you even know about him, no stats, no stories, know the rules, but you don't actually know him.

And this morning, I want you to hear something and remind your heart of something.

You were made to know God.

Not just know about him, not just abstract ideas, but to experience a personal relationship with the one who created you.

In fact, the longing of your soul to ache within for something more, that thing that achievement can't satisfy, it isn't random, it's actually relational.

What you need isn't more information this morning.

What you need, what your heart longs for is intimacy.

And so the question, as we kick off the series, knowing God, how do you really get to know God?

How do you get to know God in a personal, relational, dynamic way?

And if you really want to get to know God, where in the world do you start?

Uh the sermon today today is talking to God.

Would you say that with me?

Talking to God.

Just as communication is the foundation for every relationship, prayer is the foundation for knowing who God is.

Now, interesting part, you get this, we know this, right?

Um I can't really know you simply by reading your LinkedIn bio.

Right?

I can't really know you simply by following you on Instagram or TikTok.

I can know about you, I can know a lot of things.

In fact, I can feel, the problem is, I can feel like I know you, but in fact, I don't know you.

How do you really get to know someone?

Thank you.

It was a little delayed, I was a little nervous, but you got there.

The moment we spend time together, and then we begin to have a conversation.

That is the moment that moves beyond knowing about to knowing that the other.

And prayer is the pathway to intimacy with God.

Prayer is the pathway to intimacy with God.

Where we move beyond knowing about him to knowing him personally.

And here's something that's amazing: God loves to hear your voice, and he longs to be in relationship with you.

The creator of the universe is not distant, he's not annoyed, he's not frustrated, he's not disinterested in you.

He longs to be in relationship with you.

He's interested in your day, and he wants to be involved in your life.

And just like any relationship, see when we move this out of relationship, we miss it.

Just like any relationship, it takes time to grow together, to get to know each other.

You don't build intimacy accidentally, you grow it intentionally through consistent conversations.

And so, how do you pray in a way that actually leads to knowing God?

Because if we're honest, most of us feel unsure if we're doing it right, saying the right words, or even if prayer really matters.

Now, uh, the disciples uh asked Jesus lots of questions.

Many of them we don't have recorded, some of them we do.

Uh, and all that we have recorded of what the disciples asked, there's only one question that they asked Jesus to teach them.

Like, we want to learn from you about.

And it wasn't Jesus, teach us how to preach the way you preach.

Like, you're amazing.

People flock to hear you and they hang on every word.

We want to preach the way you preach.

And it wasn't, Jesus teach us how to do those miracles.

That's amazing.

That's awesome.

They said, Jesus, would you would you teach us how to pray?

Because there's something about the way you pray that is different than the way I pray.

There's something about it that's personal, that's powerful, that's transformative, and and it's the source of everything else that we see in your life.

And so we want to know more about that.

And so today we want to go to the teacher Jesus and ask the same question.

Lord, would you teach us to pray?

Would you teach us to pray in such a way that we get to know you?

And it changes everything about us.

So here's what Jesus is gonna do.

Jesus is gonna first help us understand what prayer is not, and then he's gonna share and tell us what or how to pray.

If you've got your Bibles, you can open them up to Matthew chapter six.

Matthew chapter six is the Sermon on the Mount in verse five.

And it begins this way, and he's gonna tell us first thing that prayer is not.

Prayer is not a performance.

Listen to what Jesus says.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites.

Who are the hypocrites?

Well, they're the religious leaders of that day, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.

Now, in the Jewish tradition, there were three times scheduled throughout the day to pray, uh, that every devout Jew would stop and pray, and uh the religious leaders, they would make sure at that time they would be in the most public, populated place so that everyone could see them praying.

This was not a personal relationship, this was a public demonstration.

This was not intimacy, this was image, management.

It says, Don't be like that.

That you would turn prayer into this public performance.

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, pray to your father who's unseen.

Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

When you pray, it's personal, it's relational.

In a relationship, there's some things that are just for the two of you.

It's special, it's just between us.

First, prayer is not a performance, it wasn't about intimacy.

Uh, and so what we do is we tend to think like this kind of performative language.

We live in the Silicon Valley, everything is about performance.

And I have to perform for God so He'll hear and respond to me.

Sometimes we use um maybe like lofty language, you know, dearest Lord Jesus?

Like, when do you say dearest anywhere?

I mean, you don't even write that on emails anymore, you know?

Uh or you change the tone of your voice, right?

Have you ever heard this?

Uh someone's talking, and maybe you've been around someone, or maybe you showed up to a church and the pastor was talking, and then when they prayed, they're like, Lord God.

Like, okay, what was that?

Like, do I have to change my voice to pray?

Like, dear Lord God, Most High, Excellent One.

And like, like you're like, what is going on here?

Somehow we begin to like subtly think that prayer is this performance.

Like, I need to pray the right prayers.

Because if I perform for God, then maybe He'll perform for me.

Religion, fundamentally, is about a performance, friends.

Relationship is about presence.

Prayer is not a performance, it's about presence.

A secret place.

It's a conversation with God.

So take the pressure off.

Next, Jesus is going to say prayer is not a secret formula.

Prayer is not a secret formula.

He says, and when you pray, don't keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they'll be heard because of their many words.

Now, in the ancient day, the Greco-Roman world, there's tons of gods, and each local um locality had their own deity.

And part of the way they prayed was these long, repeated uh prayers.

It was just like keeping up words after words after words, and what they were trying to do was they're trying to evoke the gods, wake their gods to move on their behalf.

And so the repeated words after, after, after, after, and they build up this frenzy because if they prayed long enough and fervent enough and repeated the same things enough, then their God might move on their behalf.

And in fact, the word babble here is heap up meaningless words.

He says, Don't be like them.

For your father knows what you need even before you ask him.

Like somehow I'm trying to like get God and I'm gonna just say the right things, and then he'll do what I want him to do.

And he says, No, you have a father who already knows what you need.

Prayer is not a secret formula.

There is no hidden key, certain length, perfect formula, or code word.

You can stand, you can sit, you can kneel.

Sometimes the way this looks in our prayers is we have repeated words.

If you do this, no shame.

We're learning.

We're all learning together, right?

Um, but sometimes we we pray, Lord God, Lord God, Lord God, Lord God, Lord God.

I'm saying Lord God, for some of those who didn't understand what I was saying.

But it but I've it's like, Lord God, thank you for this day, Lord God, and Lord God, we're just so grateful, Lord God, for what you're doing, Lord God, and God, you are great and good, good, good, good, Lord God.

And um, and you know, if I'm talking to my buddy Eli right over here, I go, Eli, it's great to see you.

Eli, Eli, have a fantastic Eli day.

Eli.

Um, like, like you don't do that in conversation.

But sometimes we think these repeated words are somehow, God hears those.

We gotta say them over and over.

Um, mindless prayers.

I I one of the things that is great is we have some of these prayers, and the Lord's Prayer is one of those, that we pray and we recite and repeat.

We need others' help in how to pray.

And there's some of these ancient prayers throughout uh the centuries that are so helpful to pray alongside, but then sometimes we pray prayers that are just mindless.

We just go through the function, you know.

It's like praying for uh before dinner, which is a good thing, but you know, Lord bless this food to our body.

You don't even think about it, and God's going like, no, you're eating Taco Bell.

I'm not gonna bless that to your body, right?

I'm sorry, I'm not answering that prayer.

Um but but we just have these things that we don't pray, and sometimes when I'm even tired, I've caught myself doing this at the dinner table as I have a prayer that I often pray at night over my kids or over our home.

Lord, you guard and protect us and give us good dreams.

And then I one time, I a few times actually, I found myself praying this at the dinner table.

Right?

It's just like we get into these rote habits, but then we think sometimes there's these secret words.

And if we say the right words, then God really moves.

One of those is in Jesus' name.

Amen.

We don't know why we say it after the end of every prayer, but you have to say it, and if you don't say it, then God doesn't hear it and he won't move and he won't work.

Well, and here's the reason why Jesus actually said, pray in my name.

Now, he didn't say, close all of your prayers in Jesus' name.

It's not a bad thing to do, it's a good thing to do.

But in the ancient day, the name was consistent with a person's character, who they are, and their and the who they are to be.

So, this reality of when you pray in the name of Jesus, I'm praying in alignment with the character of Jesus, with his heart and will for what he wants to happen in every situation.

That's what we're meaning when we're praying in the name of Jesus.

And amen.

It just simply means let it be so.

So when we say in the name of Jesus, may we remind ourselves that what we're saying is what I long for is all that I just spoke.

May it be in alignment with your heart, Jesus, with your character, and with what you would have done in my life and around me.

Prayer.

Prayer is not a uh performance, and prayer is not a secret formula.

In fact, prayer is not informing God, it's involving God.

I love how Richard Foster says it the same way a child cannot draw a bad picture, so a child cannot offer a bad prayer.

So take the pressure off.

Prayer is the pathway to intimacy with God.

It's simply keeping company with him.

It's just beginning to invite God into your day, keeping company, allowing him to meet with you and bringing him to the him the needs and concerns and thoughts and what's going on in your life.

And so then Jesus is gonna go, like, okay, if that's what prayer is not, how in the world do we pray?

And he says, this then is how you should pray.

And what he's gonna give us is just five movements, five conversations.

And down through the centuries, Christians have just prayed this uh verbatim, very powerful, encourage you to continue to do that.

But what I want to do is get to the heart behind of what he was praying, uh, because this will help you like in how do you get to know God?

Um, so my wife is one of the most amazing question askers on the planet.

In fact, if you ever like talk to her, she just asks questions.

She gets to know you so well.

In fact, if we're out to dinner with another couple, we have like a little like code now uh connection because she asks so many good questions right away, and I'm a little slow.

Um, I can't get a question in, and so I'm like, just give a breath so I can try to get one in there.

No, I'm not a very good question asker.

I've grown in it, and what I used to do is I used to have just a list of questions.

So as I meet you, I'd have this backlog of questions that I could ask you and I could get to know you and build off of that.

This is a little bit of what Jesus is doing for us here.

He's building a framework for us in a way that we can get to know God on a deeper level.

Because we often just stay at this, Lord help me, Lord help me, Lord help me.

And you're like, Brian, I've prayed, but I don't really know God.

Well, here we go.

First thing Jesus says in really getting to know God is it begins with worship.

Worship is simply recognizing and responding to the greatness of who God is.

He begins this way, our Father.

Would you say that with me?

Our Father.

This is revolutionary.

We hear this and we think it's just common.

The first hearers of this would go, that is scandalous.

God, to speak of him as Father, he is high, he is holy, he is other, and which is all true.

And yet, Jesus' invitation is to speak to the creator of the universe in such a personal, intimate way, the way a child responds to their dad, Abba, Daddy, Papa.

Like your relationship with someone determines not only the conversation, but your confidence in approaching them.

Like your relationship, it determines like what you're going to talk about and the confidence.

And if I approach a scary God, if I approach a distant God, if I approach a God that's just like uh kind of aloof, you're like, I'm trying to figure out, walk on eggshells, and just but when you approach Father, and not Father, even in the way we think of Father, perfect, heavenly father, all good, all-wise, all-loving, all-knowing.

Father, whoo, that changes the way you pray.

If you really got this, this would change the way you pray, that you walk and you call, and you're invited to step into that relationship.

Because I'm not somehow trying to get God's attention.

I already have his affection.

I'm not somehow trying to get God to hear me.

He delights in my voice.

When you pray, you come to a perfect heavenly father as a daughter and son of the King Most High, who delights to hear your voice and give you good gifts.

Our Father in heaven.

Hallowed be your name.

That word hallowed means let your name be sacred or set apart.

I don't want to bring you down to me.

I actually want to bring my thoughts up to you.

Worship.

Describing worth, recognizing who you are talking to.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

It moves from worship then to surrender.

Surrender is giving God complete control over every area of your life.

And you're like, Ryan, that sucks.

I don't want to do that.

That's scary.

What do you mean?

Give God complete control over every area of your life?

Think about this, take a sec.

If God is your perfect heavenly Father who is all-loving, all-wise, all good, has all power, stop acting like a teenager and thinking you know better than God.

He has his best, your best.

You'll experience his loving, kindness, goodwill in your life, but it requires us to surrender the way Jesus says it.

The kingdom is just simply the range of one's effective will, the range upon which your will is taken place.

And said, God, we long for your kingdom to come.

Come and your will to be done, which means not my will, but your will, because your will and your way are so much better than mine.

You can see farther, you know more.

And even though I can't see it all, I trust you as my good, loving, and heavenly Father.

Loving, heavenly father.

You know, um, we begin this way.

This morning, we pray every morning as a team.

We circle up in the back, and we started just right here with surrender.

Um, and we started just simply praying this prayer globally.

Your kingdom come and your will be done, Father, in Iran.

God, your kingdom come and your will be done in Israel.

Your kingdom come and your will be done in Nigeria.

Your kingdom come and your will be done in the United States.

As it is in heaven.

We get sucked in.

Caught up.

The church is most powerful when we pray.

Wherever prayer focuses, the power of God falls.

The interesting part is so we started there and then we started in this moment.

We began to pray over awakening.

Your kingdom come and your will be done right here in this moment, as it is in heaven.

But then would you take it one step further and say, Your kingdom come and your will be done in my life?

And is there any areas that you go that whole surrendered living?

Like I need to give this to you.

Maybe it's your sexuality, maybe it's your finances, maybe it's a longing of your heart where you just go, God, I just give it to you.

I trust it.

In fact, maybe I've given it to you and I have taken it back, and I need to give it back to you.

I believe one of the reasons we don't experience the power and presence of God in the Silicon Valley is we are not surrendered.

Because we still want my will.

We buy into the God of self-sufficiency rather than experiencing the sufficiency of God.

Worship.

Surrender.

Request.

Request is just asking God to give you what you need to make it through the day.

How amazing.

Think about this that the God of the universe wants you to bring request to him.

Jesus said, give us this day our daily bread.

Not our yearly bread, by the way.

God, if you could just show me the next three years, your five-year plan for my life.

And he says, No, I want to meet you today.

I want to provide for you today.

I want you to experience my provision, and prayer develops a dependency of heart.

God, today I need you.

I need, I don't know how I'm gonna make it through this day.

I'm struggling with my anxiety and my depression.

I'm struggling with that relationship.

I'm struggling over that wayward child.

I'm struggling with my roommates, my boss, my coworkers.

God, I bring to you the needs of this day.

And there's nothing too small to bring to God, nothing too insignificant.

I gotta tell you, I'm not gonna lie.

I was praying for a basketball game yesterday.

We won.

Um, it's just good.

Sorry, that's nothing too big.

Too overwhelming, too hard.

Bring your request to God.

Worship, surrender, request, confession.

Confession is simply to own up to a condition of the soul.

Jesus says, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Confession is simply to agree with God about our current condition.

God, I'm messy and broken, and I've made a mess and created brokenness.

It's called sin.

Would you please forgive me?

And there's people, because I've experienced your forgiveness, I now need to forgive.

Confession looks something like this, it's just specific, be specific with God, where you just go, God, I'm this is an area where you go, Holy Spirit, if there's anything in me that's not of you, would you show me?

And he will.

Oh, that attitude, that response, that habit.

He's showing you because it's not best for you, and he longs for your very best.

Oh God, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for the way I responded.

I lied there, and I need to make that right.

I I I gossiped there, I I spoke there.

Would you please forgive me?

And then thank God.

1 John 1 9 says, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

God, thank you for your forgiveness, sweet forgiveness found in Jesus.

So many of us walk around with a load that Jesus has already paid for.

And where you simply go to him and go, Here I am.

All of me.

And Jesus says, I've already covered it.

And finally, protection.

Asking God to guard you from temptation and evil.

Have you ever noticed, by the way, that when you really want to get to know God, when you're really trying to follow God, like life seems to get way busier, starts to fall apart, and like, or some something that you've been struggling with, that maybe you had like some victory and all of a sudden rages its head again.

You're like, what in the world's going on?

Jesus said this, and lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from the evil one.

Like you have a real spiritual enemy.

He would say it this way in John 10.

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

Like there's an active working against you to kill, steal, and destroy in your life.

But Jesus says, I've come that you might have life and life to the full.

God, would you bring protection?

Would you guard my heart and mind?

Would you expose the enemy's lies?

Prayer is the pathway to intimacy with God.

Jesus gives us five conversation pieces that help develop where you move from knowing about God to truly knowing him.

I don't want us just to talk about prayer, but to pray together.

Lead us through the Lord's prayer.

Before we do, the reality is, is there's some in this room like you do not know God as your heavenly father.

You may know about him, but you don't know him personally.

And I want to give you the opportunity to know God as your heavenly father before we pray our Father.

Only through the finished work of Jesus that you can have a personal relationship with God.

You're made to know God, but sin fractured the relationship.

Not just mistakes, not just flaws, rebellion, self-rule.

Living independent of Him.

Jesus came to do what we could never do for ourselves.

He lived the life we couldn't live.

He died the death we deserved.

And he rose again so that we could be forgiven, restored, adopted into the family of God.

So he's not a distant God, but your perfect Heavenly Father.

And today, in this moment, if you want to know God as your Heavenly Father, I want to invite you just to pray after me, prayer just a conversation with God.

And would you join me all in just praying together?

And if that's where you're at, you can just pray along in the quiet of your heart.

Jesus, I want to know you personally.

I want to experience you, God, as my heavenly Father.

Today I give you my life.

I confess I've sinned and lived my own way.

I believe you love me, you came for me, you died for me, and you rose again.

Would you please forgive me and make me new?

Thank you for saving me, forgiving me, making me a part of your family.

And if you prayed that prayer, you are now a part of God's forever family, adopted, forgiven, made new.

And just with eyes still closed, head bowed, if you prayed that, if you made a step to know God, would you just raise your hand so I could see and pray for you?

Just raise an up high amen.

Very cool.

We're gonna continue and pray the Lord's Prayer together.

I'm gonna begin with worship.

Our Father in heaven.

Hallowed be your name.

Just begin to talk to God about Him.

Thank Him.

Remind your heart and soul that you have a perfect heavenly Father.

And then we move to surrender.

Your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in mine.

First, would you pray his kingdom and come and will be done?

Iran, peace, freedom, healing, persecuted church.

For this country, his kingdom come, your will be done.

And even if you're comfortable, you can even open your hands.

It's a sign of surrender.

Say, your kingdom comes, your will be done in life.

Is there anything you're holding tightly that he's inviting you to hand to him?

You can trust him.

And then request.

Give us this day our daily prayer.

What are the anxious thoughts, the worries?

The doubt, the struggle, the tangible needs.

Bring those.

Nothing too small.

Or insignificant, nothing too big.

Overwhelming.

And then confession.

Forgive us our debts.

As we also forgive our debtors.

Holy Spirit, would you search me and show me anything in me that's not of you?

Is there anyone you need to forgive?

And finally, protection.

Lead us not into temptation.

But deliver us from evil.

God would you guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

May your voice be louder than any other voice in our lives.

I pray for my friends right now that the step of knowing you would you stand guard over their lives.

Protect them from the skins of enemy.

Forever.