“Looking Up!”
Part 2 of Summer Sermon Series 2013: ‘Matthew and Friends’
Scripture Reading1
Give ear to my words Lord; consider my meditations. Give heed to the voice
of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall
hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will
look up. (Psalm 5:1-3 NKJV)
I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help
comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens . . . our eyes look
to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us. (Psalm 123:1, 2b)
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking [up] to
Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith . . . (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus spoke these words: “In Me you will have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Then he
lifted His eyes to heaven and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your
Son, that Your Son may also glorify You . . . and this is eternal life, that they
may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent . . .
(John 16:33; 17:1, 3)
[After the feeding of the 5000], Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he
spent the whole night there. The next morning he called his disciples
together and chose twelve of them to be his apostles. One was Simon, and
Jesus named him Peter. Another was Andrew, Peter’s brother. There were
also James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, and James the
son of Alphaeus. The rest of the apostles were Simon, known as the Eager
One, Jude, who was the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who later betrayed
Jesus. (Luke 6:12-16, CEV)
Introduction
I always considered myself to be somewhat deprived as a child.
We grew up on a farm, which was great, but we did not own even one television!
You know how it is today – there is a TV for every person in the household, so that they can
watch whatever they want.
Not so with Dad.
He perceived TV as an interference with the activities of daily living.
TV would interfere with chores,
studying
and homework.
If we wanted to learn anything, we read a book,
or the newspaper,
or listened to the local radio station for current events.
TV was not on our agenda of ‘approved intellectual stimulation’.
However, once in a while, we were allowed to go to our neighbour’s home.
1
All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV 1984)
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
(a division of The Zondervan Corporation). All rights reserved.
They did have a TV – a little black and white model which left me entranced with the
possibilities it offered.
There were not hundreds of stations to which we can now subscribe.
I think there might have been one or two stations . . . but it was a different world for me.
A visual world that intrigued and fascinated me.
The neighbour girls and Jan and I would cluster around this little TV, sitting on the floor,
waiting in anticipation for the show to begin!
[ show opening clip from The Friendly Giant – 1:50 ]
That was one of the programs that we were allowed to watch from time to time, on Saturday
morning . . . if our chores were done.
This fifteen minute segment of interaction between the ‘Friendly’ and his buddies, Jerome, the
Giraffe, and Rusty the Rooster.
It always started out the same way: the Friendly Giant would lean down and arrange the little
chair and the “bigger chair for 2 more to curl up in” and the rocking chair in the middle.
Then he would say: “Look up, look wa-a-a-a-y up, and I’ll call Rusty” and the cameras would
follow him up to show everyone the top of a turret.
Rusty would pop out of his little book bag, and Jerome the Giraffe would be summoned with
the Friendly Giant’s special whistle.
Then they would discuss what was happening out there in the big, wide world, for about
fifteen minutes – maybe read a story book
or have a special musical concert with some other friends.
I don’t remember much of the content, but I do remember “look up, look wa-a-a-a-y up!”
When I was a kid, I loved to lie in the grass, looking up . . . looking way, way up to the
heavens.
Imagination was limitless.
Huge cumulous clouds could be monsters
or horses
or palaces!
The rays of sun reaching from the clouds to the earth were ladders to heaven!
If you held your hand over your eyes in a certain way, and gazed at the sun, you could see all
kinds of colours and shapes floating ‘in’ your eyes.
The stars at night were a dazzling canopy of pinholes, poking through the darkness.
If we were really lucky, we might see northern lights dancing across the northern sky.
Before someone ever landed on the moon and shattered the mystery, we could even see the
‘man in the moon.’
Look up,
look wa-a-a-a-y up.
I still like to look way, way up.
Looking up, I watch hawks soaring and dipping as they ride the breezes.
I see the wispy contrails of jets as they crisscross the sky.
I see cloud formations hanging over the horizon,
or blazing, clear blue skies
or dark ominous clouds.
I can see ‘sun dogs’ – rainbows around the sun, which indicate changes in the weather.
I can see geese ‘flying low’ or flying high.
Look up,
look way, way up.
Looking up, I see the awesomeness of a mighty Creator.
Looking up,
looking way, way up, I see the author and finisher of my faith! (Hebrews 12:2)
Last week, we were invited to ‘look around’ at the folks in our community – friends,
family members,
neighbours.
We were invited to make our ‘Matthew’ list of folks and begin to pray for them.
Look around at your ‘spiritual harvest fields’ – write the names of friends,
neighbors,
and family who need Jesus Christ as their hope.
Seriously consider those around you with whom you can share the hope that you have found
in Jesus Christ.
Start with just two or three – those who, by your invitation, can join you for a short time
together.
Your list will grow longer as you begin to pray earnestly and God brings more people to mind.
Pray for them every day.
Begin to build strong relationships with them so that, when you do extend an invitation, they
are willing to accept.
So . . . look around.
Check out your ‘harvest field.’
We hope that, over this past week, you have started your “Matthew List”.
We hope that you are already praying that God will prepare your heart and begin to use you
as a ‘life-changer’ in the lives of others.
The thing is, we can look around forever.
We can see people who do not know Christ.
We can see broken families,
hurting individuals,
those who are lonely,
depressed,
grieving,
hopeless.
We can look around and see the hurt,
the sadness,
the discouragement,
the greed,
the apathy,
the ‘lostness’,
the self-centredness of people – and we can even feel a sense of compassion and
empathy, but if all we do is look around, we will not be an instrument of change in our
community.
Because just looking around can also be a distraction from our goal.
LOOK UP and pray every day for each person on your ‘Matthew list’.
Ask God to open their hearts so they can begin to see their need for Him.
Pray that He will strengthen your relationship with them and that they will accept your
invitation to share the Good News of salvation with them.
Just a few moments ago, we read that The Psalmist lifted up his voice to God first thing in the
morning.
He started his day with prayer – and many times during the day we read that he ‘looked up’
for his help and his strength.
Paul exhorted his readers to “pray without ceasing” and “give thanks in everything.” (1
Thessalonians 5:18)
Looking around at ‘the harvest fields’ can be overwhelming.
We see so much hurt,
so many lonely people,
so much injustice that we hardly know what to do or where to begin.
If you know me, you will know that I like to ‘fix’ things – and if I can’t do it myself, well, maybe
it just does not need to be done.
All too often we have that same attitude about our Christian walk.
If we cannot do ‘it’ with our own power, we feel we have failed ourselves or God.
Look up.
Look way, way up.
Look up to Jesus.
Jesus certainly saw ‘the harvest fields.’
But, know what He did before He did anything else?
He looked up to and checked in with His Heavenly Father and spent a long time talking with
Him.
We just read that He prayed all night before He chose the twelve disciples.
That choice was so important that He needed to ensure those guys were in line with His
Father’s direction!
Your ‘Matthew Lists’ are so important, that you need to spend much time with your Heavenly
Father, so that you know those names are in line with your Heavenly Father’s direction!
Jesus is the supreme model of a person devoted to prayer.
One of the most amazing things in scripture is how much time He spent in prayer.
He had only three years in public ministry, but He was never too hurried to spend hours in
prayer.
No day began or closed without communion with His Father.
He prayed briefly when He was in a crowd;
He prayed a little longer when He was with His disciples; He prayed all night when He was
alone. (Graham, 1991, p. 148)
Problem is, we pray very haphazardly – and our prayers are often focused on ourselves and
our own needs and desires.
What happens when you ‘look up’?
Your perspective changes!
I was sitting under my ‘outdoor canopy’ the other day, and I was ‘looking up’ at the sky.
Looking up at the sun filtering through the leaves.
Looking up at crows lazily ‘surfing’ the breezes.
Because I was ‘looking up’, I did not focus on grass that needs to be mowed,
or a house that needed to be completely painted,
or gardens that needed to be weeded.
I just looked up.
And enjoyed the peacefulness: nuthatches scolding squirrels for stealing their birdseed,
the azure blue of the sky,
the emerald greens of the leaves,
the white cotton ball clouds that framed my view.
My perspective changed.
My focus changed.
My attitude changed.
And I whispered a little prayer of ‘thanks’ to my Heavenly Father for the beauty of His
creation.
Know what else happens when you ‘look up’?
Your body language changes!
It is almost impossible to look up and slump down!
When you look up, your spine gets straighter!
You put your shoulders back a bit.
It opens up your lungs and diaphragm and enables you to breathe more easily!
It changes the pressure on your back and neck and legs!
I know this, because I have been experimenting with looking up over this past week!
Try it.
Try it right now.
Look up!
Feel a bit of difference in your lower back?
Looking up changes your body language from lethargic to animated!
I wonder if ‘looking up’ is what Isaiah had in mind when he penned these poignant words:
“. . . those who wait on the Lord, [who look up in prayer to the Lord] will renew
their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and
not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)
Looking up focuses us directly towards our Heavenly Father.
Prayer is the essence of Christian experience.
Christianity is a relationship between God and His people.
And relationships are established,
maintained,
and enriched through good communication.
Prayer is that intimate communication between God and me.
Prayer is that activity which keeps our faith vital and strong. (General Editors, 1987, 1988, 1991, p. 902)
Jesus frequently prayed alone, separating Himself from every earthly distraction.
Do you have a special place – a room in your home,
a place in your garden or yard,
a favourite rock down at the beach,
a spot where you can regularly meet God alone?
Moses confronted God in a burning bush.
Jonah had a ‘heart-to-heart’ in the belly of a great fish.
God spoke to Elijah in a cave, where he hid away from his enemies.
For many of the disciples, their place was out on a boat, fishing.
For John the Baptist, the wilderness was his special spot.
Where is your special spot?
Where do you go to ‘get away’ from the distractions of kids
or phones
or computers
or the many intrusions and demands of life?
Where do you go to ‘recharge’ your spiritual battery?
Or do you have a spot?
Do you even bother to ‘recharge’?
Are you running on empty?
Prayer is the most powerful tool we have!
Unfortunately, ‘just praying’ seems to be a last resort at times.
I read this thought:
“If Christians spent as much time praying as they do grumbling, they would soon
have nothing to grumble about.”
And another commented:
“If there are any tears in heaven, they will be over the fact that we prayed so little!”
“Heaven must be full of answers for which no one ever bothered to ask.” (Graham, 1991,
p. 153)
Prayer was the ‘lifeline’ between Jesus and His heavenly Father.
Through prayer, He received guidance,
Inspiration
and strength.
If Jesus spent so much time in prayer,
if he valued the power of prayer above all else, surely we, human as we are, facing
temptations and challenges in our daily lives, need to spend just as much time in prayer.
James states that
“. . . prayer of a righteous [person] is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16 )
Prayer is powerful, but if our prayers are aimless,
meaningless,
and mingled with doubt, they will be of little hope to us.
Prayer is more than a wish; it is the voice of faith directed to God. (Graham, 1991, p. 154)
“If any . . . lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all without
finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he [or she] asks, they must
believe and not doubt, because he [or she] who doubts is like a wave of the
sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6)
True prayer is a way of life.
It is more than a couple of moments in the morning, while we are rushing out the door to
some appointment.
It is more than a weary minute at the end of the day, when we are climbing into bed.
Prayer is constant, daily communication with our Lord and Saviour.
“It is a place where we must spend time if we are to learn its power.” (Graham, 1991, p.
157)
As we prepare to participate in “My Hope Canada,” I challenge you to ‘look up, and ‘pray
diligently for those folk on your ‘Matthew list.’
Pray every day for each one.
Pray that God will enable you to develop or build relationships.
Pray that God will use you as a ‘life-changer.’
Ask God to open their hearts so they can see their need of Him.
Pray that He will strengthen your relationship with them and that they will accept your
invitation to share the Good News of salvation with them.
Let us join together in prayer for our community,
in prayer for this church,
in prayer for each other.
Let us ‘pray without ceasing,’ believing that God is already answering our genuine petitions
for the salvation of others.
Look up.
God is waiting to answer your prayers.
AMEN
Bibliography
Biblica. (1973, 1978, 1984). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® (NIV 1984). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing
House (The Zondervan Corporation).
CEV. (1995). Contemporary English Version (CEV). New York: American Bible Society.
General Editors. (1987, 1988, 1991). Prayer. In The Holy Bible, New Century Version (NCV)® (p. 902). Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Graham, B. (1991). Hope for the Troubled Heart. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Grason.
Thomas Nelson, Inc. (1982). The New King James Version (NKJV). Thomas Nelson, Inc. (a Division of Thomas Nelson Publishers) Used by
permission. All rights reserved.