Skip to main content

Sermon Notes for September 13, 2015

“God’s House is a House of Prayer”
Matthew 21:1-17
September 13, 2015

1. What is the heart of the Christian way of life? What part does prayer play in this way of life?

2. Read Matthew 21:1-17. What was the first thing Jesus did upon entering Jerusalem? Why? How does the nature of his actions reveal the depth of his passion?

3. What is the source of Jesus quote in verse 14? What do we learn from Isaiah 56:1-8 about Jesus’ teaching and passion?

4. What transpired immediately after Jesus cleansed the temple? What does this teach us about his passion for his house?

5. What is the house of God? What is supposed to characterize the daily functions of the house of God?

6. How does this vision relate to the daily lives of Christians? To Glory of Christ Fellowship? To the churches of Elk River and beyond?

7. Take some time for prayer. Praise God for who he is, confess to him the weights and sins in your life, thank him for his grace and patience and power, and bring your requests before him in a spirit of thanksgiving. Honor the call to be a house of prayer by spending time in prayer each day!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Worship Songs, October 15, 2017

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. My Redeemers Love Hope Has Come I Will Glory In My Redeemer Blessed Be Your Name Here In Your Presence Your Glory Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) -- Sermon Text: John 11:1-16 That the next generation will set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7).

Deacons - How They Serve and Strengthen the Church (Part 1)

  One of the next important priorities for GCF is to establish deacons in the life of the church. On March 14, 2021 we were able to establish an elder team. Currently, we have a team of four elders overseeing the congregation of GCF.  However, there is more work to be done. I have come to see that establishing an elder team was the bare minimum that needed to happen for GCF to survive. I believe GCF now needs to turn our attention to raising up a team of qualified and willing deacons to serve the congregation so that it will not only survive but thrive.   I would like to begin a series of blogs on deacons to help us understand who they are and what they do in the life of the church.  In this blog let me provide three reasons why I think deacons should be near our top priority.  Number 1: It is Biblical. Paul instructs Timothy to install elders who will help him pastor the church. For whatever reason, it seems the churches in our circles treat the installmen...

The Secret of all Failure is our Failure in Secret Prayer

“We may be assured of this—the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer” (12). So writes the anonymous author of the classic little book on prayer entitled, The Kneeling Christian (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids: 1971). He means that the reason we so often fall into sin or live in discouragement or fail to bear fruit is because we do not cling to God in Christ above all things. We do not diligently seek him or lean on him or plead with him or draw on his strength. We give ourselves to busyness over communion with God and in this way we seek to accomplish in our flesh what can only be accomplished in the power of the Spirit.  Giving first place to what our dear author calls “secret prayer” is indeed a key to the Spirit-filled life but let’s be clear: prayer is not magic, rather, it’s a relationship. It’s not as if we simply have to file requests with God, being careful to use just the right words so that we can get him to respond as we wish. God is not a vendi...