Mountainside Matters
Keys to Answered Prayers • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 views5th Message in the series, Keys to Answered prayers.
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One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Mountain)
Almost from the beginning of the Bible, mountains are sites of transcendent spiritual experiences, encounters with God or appearances by God.
THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT JESUS OFTEN WENT UP TO THE MOUNTAINS TO PRAY, BELOVEDS....ST MATTHEW
REPORTED ON OUR SAVIOR NOT TAKING A VICTORY LAP AFTER FEEDING THE 5000 INSTEAD IT SAYS IN MATTHEW
14:23
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
ST. MARK WENT ON TO REPORT ON JESUS PARTING FROM THE COMPANY OF HIS DISCIPLES AFTER THEY HAD TAKEN
IN A HUGE HAUL OF FISH IN THIS WAY IN MARK 6:45-46
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
AND ON ANOTHER NOTABLE OCCASION, WHEN JESUS WANTED TO EXERCISE HIS WILL AND PUSH BACK ON
ACCOLADES AND AFFIRMATIONS, ST JOHN REPORTED IN JOHN 6:15
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
INCLUDING OUR TEXT FROM ST. LUKE THIS MORNING THESE ARE A TOTAL OF 4 DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND
FOUR
DISTINCT REASONS JESUS RETREATED TO THE MOUNTAINS TO PRAY, TO RENEW HIMSELF, TO COMMUNE WITH
OUR
CREATOR GOD....ALL THESE MAY BE REGARDED AS MOUNTAIN SIDE MATTERS TO OUR SAVIOR.....
MASTER MONUMENTAL MATTERS BY THE MOUNTAINSIDE
MASTER MONUMENTAL MATTERS BY THE MOUNTAINSIDE
IN OUR TEXT THIS MORNING, BELOVEDS, JESUS NOT ONLY RETREATS TO THE MOUNTAINS WE ARE SHOWN THAT HE
SPENT THE ENTIRE NIGHT THERE IN PRAYER.....
ONE OF THE KEYS TO ANSWERED PRAYER IS FINDING WHATEVER PLACE WE NEED TO FIND, SETTING THE
TIME ASIDE WE NEED TO SET ASIDE TO HEAR FROM ALMIGHTY GOD........
THIS RETREAT TO THE MOUNTAINS WAS HIS PREPARATION FOR THE MOMENTOUS DECISION AROUND CALLING THE
DISCIPLES OUT OF THEIR EVERY DAY LIVES AND INTO ACTION CARRYING OUT THEIR GOD GIVEN MISSION.....
WHEN WE SET ASIDE THE PROPER TIME AND PLACE TO PRAY FOR MONUMENTAL MATTERS IN OUR LIVES, BELOVEDS,
WE REALIZE AGAIN AND AGAIN WHAT THE TRAPPIST MONK, THOMAS MERTON TAUGHT US ABOUT PRAYER:
PRAYER IS AN EXPRESSION OF WHO WE ARE. WE ARE A LIVING INCOMPLETENESS. WE ARE A GAP, AN
EMPTINESS THAT CALLS FOR FULFILLMENT
THAT FULFILLMENT IS REALIZED WHEN WE PRAY WITH COMPASSION, CONFIDENCE AND CARE
A MORE RECENT THEOLOGIAN, LIVING IN OUR TIMES GOES ON TO REMIND US:
Life is a series of mountains and valleys. Each day brings new experiences.
Mountains, of course, are a natural elevation of the earth’s surface, but they also represent, sometimes
small and sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles in life. They could be anything from missing car
keys to facing a cancer diagnosis. They might be the car stalling or not having enough money to pay your
bills. We all have mountains, but we all have God to get us over them.
Valleys are defined as an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one
following the course of a stream. They are our rest, or time of joy, between the mountains. After climbing a
mountain, we sure are relieved to see a valley! The valleys in life could be receiving good news from the
doctor, an unexpected windfall of cash, finding the missing car keys or receiving a promotion at work. Or
they might be a time where life seems smooth sailing with no major mountains in the distance.
Mountains represent both God as our refuge and the obstacles we face in life.
AS WE SEEK OUT PLACES OF REFUGE, LIKE MOUNTAINS, TO PRAY IN.....WHEN WE SET ASIDE TIME TO DEVOTE
OURSELVES TO HEARING FROM GOD WE LEARN AND REINFORCE THE LESSON IN OUR LIVES THAT SAYS:
Through prayer, God sends spiritual light into a dark world. PRAYER brings blessings and intervention to
earthly affairs. It helps to drown out the negative noise around us.
PRAYER ITSELF TAKES US TO NEW HEIGHTS
PRAYER ITSELF TAKES US TO NEW HEIGHTS
MOUNTAINSIDE MATTERS HAVE INSPIRED THEOLOGIANS & POETS, WRITERS AND VISUAL ARTISTS, CLIMBERS AND
HIKERS AND THIS MORNING AS BELIEVERS WE HEAR AGAIN THE INSPIRATION OF THE STATE OF OREGON’S FIRST
POET LAUREATE WHO HELPED GOD’S PEOPLE REALIZE THE MAJESTY OF A CREATOR, IN OUR CREATOR GOD WHO
HEARS AND ANSWERS PRAYER......SHE WROTE IN HER POEM, WHY WONDER?:
IF RADIO’S SLIM FINGERS CAN PLUCK A MELODY FROM NIGHT AND TOSS IT OVER A CONTINENT OR SEA,
IF THE PETALLED WHITE NOTES OF A VIOLIN ARE BLOWN ACROSS A MOUNTAIN OR CITY’S DIN,
IF SONGS, LIKE CRIMSON ROSES ARE CULLED FROM THIN BLUE AIR;
WHY SHOULD MORTALS WONDER THAT GOD HEARS AND ANSWERS PRAYER?
THOUGH WE AS HUMANS CAN ARGUE ABOUT WHETHER WE DESERVE THE UNMERITED FAVOR OF GOD OR EVEN
EXPECT GOD TO LISTEN WHEN WE PRAY.......WHAT WE AS BELIEVERS CAN’T ARGUE TRULY IS THAT GOD SHOWS US
WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN AND THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE......WE ARE BLESSED WITH GRACE DAY AFTER DAY, EVEN
THE GRACE GOD GIVES US TO LISTEN AND HEAR OUR PRAYERS......AND IT WAS THE PSALMIST WHO PUT IT THIS WAY
IN PSALM 8:3-8
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
IT WAS THE CHRISTIAN HYMN WRITER, THURSTON FRASER WHO WROTE FROM THE KIND OF THANKFULNESS WE
ALL HOLD IN OUR HEARTS FOR HOW GOD SHOWERS US WITH BLESSINGS WHEN HE WROTE:
OH, TO BE KEPT BY JESUS, KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD, KEPT FROM THE WORLD UNSPOTTED, TREADING WHERE
JESUS TROD....
OH TO BE KEPT BY JESUS; LORD AT THY FEET I FALL, I WOULD BE NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING....
THOU SHALT BE MY ALL AND ALL.........
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
JESUS TEACHES US THAT IN ALL THINGS GREAT AND SMALL WE GET MORE PEACE WHEN WE MAKE TIME TO GET
SOME ALONE TIME WITH OUR CREATOR GOD......
-JESUS MADE PEACE A MOUNTAINSIDE MATTER
JESUS TEACHES US THAT WHEN WE HAVE MAJOR DECISIONS WE NEED TO MAKE WE COME BEFORE THE LORD OUR
GOD IN PRAYER.....
-JESUS MADE MAKING OUR MAJOR DECISIONS A MOUNTAINSIDE MATTER
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
JESUS MADE GAINING THE STRENGTH AND THE COMFORT WE NEED....TO KEEP PUSHING FORWARD INTO OUR
DESTINY, INTO OUR CALL, INTO OUR CHARGE, INTO OUR DUTY.....A MOUNTAINSIDE MATTER
PUSHING FORWARD INTO A FUTURE UNKNOWN TO US, BUT WELL KNOWN BY OUR CREATOR GOD........CAN BE A
MOUNTAINSIDE MATTER
PUSHING FORWARD EVEN WHEN THE WORLD WOULD SADDLE US WITH UNCERTAINTY, DOUBT AND DREAD.....CAN
BE ANOTHER MOUNTAINSIDE MATTER
WE GET QUIET WITH GOD, BY THE MOUNTAINSIDE
WE SEEK TO HEAR FROM GOD AND GAIN INTIMACY WITH OUR GOD, BY THE MOUNTAINSIDE
WE SEEK TO RE-OPEN OUR HEARTS TO GOD, BY THE MOUNTAINSIDE