If someone made a movie of the way you approach God what would that movie be like? Imagine a film called (and I’ll use my name here but you insert your own) …A year in the life of Chris, Jordan, Ashley praying.
· Like Dorothy approaching the great Wizard of Oz?
· Like a child climbing onto your grandparent’s lap?
· Like a student slipping into your desk for class?
· Like a person dropping change in a vending machine for a bag of chips?
· Like a beggar, hat in hand, asking for a handout?
How do you enter prayer?
· Scared? Embarrassed? Frantic? Needy? Unworthy? Lazy? Disinterested? Disillusioned? Anxious? Anticipating? Desperate?
This is important because… how you approach God…how you pray…and if you pray will determine the course of your life. Prayer is THAT important….and you KNOW IT…I don’t care if you haven’t prayer formally in years… the moment you find yourself in a fix what are the first words you utter involuntarily….Oh my God!
· We were hard wired for prayer. Because we are created in the image of God there lies within us a homing device, of sorts, that drives every human being to God.
· We all possess a latent longing for connection with God.
· Prayer is essential to our physical health, our mental health, our relational health and for sure without it we will never discover our destiny.
Prayer reveals possibilities whose limits never have been found. H.E. Fosdick
Unfortunately to large extent we’re lousy at prayer.
To leave misunderstood and untrained a power capable of such high uses is a spiritual tragedy. H.E. Fosdick
Today I want to help you get a little better at approaching God…better at prayer. We’ll do that by returning to the story of Abraham.
Genesis 18:1 page 14
In Abraham’s story we have a prime opportunity to watch a man and his family learn how to know and follow God from the ground up. They began as absolute spiritual novices and before our eyes are growing in…
· How to believe God.
· How to see Him God.
· What it means to feel worthy in God’s eyes.
· Why we can trust the fact that God sees us regardless of our circumstances
· And of course…What it means to follow the call of God.
Today we are going to again get a ring side seat to watch a man grow in his relationship with the Almighty. We’re going to learn how to approach God, how to be in his presence, … and ultimately how to pray.
Let’s call this Ground rules for approaching God.
1 The LORD appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre.
· This is like a chapter heading to describe the setting of Abraham’s latest interaction with God.
· A grove of trees named after a friend and ally of Abraham.
One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground. 3 “My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4 Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. 5 And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.” “All right,” they said. “Do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.
· The sudden appearance of three men at Abraham’s tent elicits a quick response. I believe he knew immediately that it was God.
o It was sudden “looked up and noticed them nearby” (Vs 2)
o One of his first responses was “bowing low to the ground” (Vs. 2)
o He greets them as “my Lord” (Vs 3) …Adonay …which in time became a proper name Jews used in place of Yahweh.
Side note: Who are these three? No one knows but based on how the rest of the story plays out it makes sense that one of them was God…in what we call today a “theophany” …some kind of physical human manifestation of God. The others were likely angels…in human form.
Pay attention to Abraham’s reactions to the presence of God - to create an atmosphere of welcome, hospitality, hominess, and comfort.
· To be hospitable was expected in 1500 BC middle eastern culture and it still is today.
o I remember two Iranian students living beneath Penny and me who did the same for us.
Abraham created an atmosphere of casual warmth.
· a moment of intimacy of affection and familiarity and closeness.
Abraham was saying to God…come in to my home…eat…enjoy…tell me your story and I will tell you mine. I give you my complete attention.
This pictures beautifully the first ground rule for approaching God…
Ground rules for approaching God:
1. Invite Him into the home of your heart as he invites you into his.
You see…it’s mutual. Mutual hospitality of prayer. As we invite him into our home he invites us into his…
How lovely is your dwelling place, OLORD. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. Psalm 84:1-2
We need to approach God as if we’re entering into his home and He into ours.
Richard Foster captures the hospitality of prayer beautifully in Prayer
Ground rules for approaching God:
1. Invite Him into the home of your heart as he invites you into his.
9 “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked. “She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied. 10 Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh.” But the LORD said, “No, you did laugh.”
We’ve covered this story line almost every week of this series…Abraham and Sarah have no child…yet God promises they’ll have descendants like the stars in the sky.
· This is the toughest thing Abraham has had to believe. And yet God persists in promising a child. And here God ups the ante…it’ll happen by this time next year.
This was God irked. I think he was annoyed at Sarah’s cynical laughing. And he adds lays out this challenging rhetorical question: Is anything too hard for the LORD?
By the way…that’s for you too, not just Sarah. And it reminds me of a similar thought uttered 1500 years later by Jesus: Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible. Jesus in Matthew 19:26
So ground rule #2:
Ground rules for approaching God:
2. Go in expecting answers and miracles.
Why? Listen, this is less about getting what you want and more about treating God as he deserves.
· Scoffing at the unlikely is poor theology. It degrades God’s capacity and it belittles his love.
· Never laugh at the impossible. It diminishes God.
· Always pray expecting the impossible…that’s exactly how God wants you to approach him.
16 Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the LORD asked. (apparently speaking to the angels) 18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.” 20 So the LORD told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.” 22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham.
So, Sodom has become a wicked place…”their sin is so flagrant” (weighty, burdensome)
What was so bad about Sodom… As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters. Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen. Ezekiel 16:48-50
And of course, in Gen 19… their sexual immorality is infamous. Near total depravity.
Apparently God wants Abraham to know either 1) Lot is there 2) he wants Abraham to learn what is wrong and right…
Which brings us to the climax of the story…
23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” 26 And the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” 27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the LORD said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.” 29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.” 30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?” And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.” 31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?” And the LORD replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.” 32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the LORD replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” 33 When the LORD had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent. Genesis 18:23-33
Just a reminder of what we’re looking for in this story…we’re learning how to approach God. How to pray. Some ground rules…
Ground rules for approaching God:
1. Invite Him into the home of your heart as he invites you into his.
2. Go in expecting answers and miracles.
In this climax of the story are two more ground rules for prayer…
Ground rules for approaching God:
3. Be ready to negotiate.
Call it haggling, debating, or pushing back … this story more than any other in the bible encourages us to bargain with God. It’s OK.
Notice Abraham’s determination to “push back” on God
· 23 – he approached God…got close…not threatening but not casual either
· 23 – he offers his opinion that there have got to be good people there too. Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked
· 25 – and inexplicably he seems to question God’s motives. Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
o But I think it’s more like thinking out loud trying to make sense of it all.
§ And this I OK to! How could you let that happen? Where are you? Why…you make no sense.
· Low and behold 26 – it appears that God changes his mind…or was willing to alter his approach…Abraham had apparently influenced God’s will.
How is this possible? Is not everything pre-determined or at the very least pre-known? He is God …Aren’t things set in stone from eternity past? How could I change the mind of God?
Let me remind you of something that may hurt your head. Barry spoke of this in December of 2013
Because time is a created thing. When God created space and earth and stars and energy and gravity and life, He also created time. Before God set the galaxies in motion, time didn’t exist. There were no seconds or minutes or hours.
God isn’t just really really old. He exists outside of space and time. If time is something he created, and he truly exists outside of it, it means that he is not bound by our limited perspective on the world.
We may be trapped in the relentless march of time, but God isn’t. He isn’t only present at this time. He’s present at every time. Right now.
God is, at this moment, comforting 5-year-old you as you fall off your bike and scrape your knee. He is, at this moment, holding your hand as you lie on your deathbed and breathe your last. He is, at this moment, watching as a zygote grows that will be you 9 months later.
And he is, at this moment, sitting with you in this room, breathing life into the broken places of your heart, equipping you with strengths, gifts, and passions, and inviting you to trust him with your life, because you are his workmanship, and there is so much still to come.
…and based on this story…I’ll add God is at this moment hearing your prayer…the one you are trying to convince him needs to answered…and he is simultaneously an eternity ago planning its answer based on your desires and his will.
Yes…your desires and God’s will intersect in your prayers…and somehow we can influence the Lord of the Cosmos.
Ground rules for approaching God.
Be ready to negotiate.
Now there is one more ground rule but there is no more time! But the last is crucial. So how about we do this. I’ll share the last on our Podcast which we are recording tomorrow… Between Sundays…the link is on the app or our website.
Entering into God’s presence is no game. It is no religious exercise. It is no tired act.
Prayer is life and death. It is intimacy and argument. It is as miraculous as it is frustrating.
For the God who sees you invites you into a dangerous wonderous relationship with him that will change you and quite possibly change the world around you.
Let us pray well!
(end weekend sermon here)
And finally….
Ground rules for approaching God.
4. Be very respectful and reverent.
Notice in the story while the negotiation is going on Abraham’s attitude of deference and wariness.
26 And the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” 27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the LORD said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.” 29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.” 30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?” And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.” 31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?” And the LORD replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.” 32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the LORD replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” 33 When the LORD had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.
Genesis 18:1-33
When we approach God it should be with a sense of intimacy…hominess and comfort. It should include a positive expectancy of answers and miracles. It should include a determination to engage God is deep discussion and even negotiation….
BUT
Remember this: Let us please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.For our God is a devouring fire.
Hebrews 12:28-29
And…
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31
We must never forget that yes, Abraham influenced God and his process regarding Sodom and Gomorrah but this happened: Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. Genesis 19:24-25
Perhaps we have forgotten or neglect or ignore what is true about God. Perhaps we’ve homogenized God. Maybe we’re embarrassed by this aspect of our God.
When the true story gets told it may be revealed that the worst sin of the church has been the trivialization of God. Donald McCullough
Prayer is always a balance between God as the destroying fire and God our dear friend.
So…have I made it worse or better? For those of you who pray little does this inspire you or push you away?