Pray with Thanksgiving

11/30/2014BOLGPC

Dr. Joseph Chang

Philippians 4:4-7• 4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,

Rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I. Christian Life Style• A. Rejoice, Christians!• 《列子 ·天瑞》• 杞人憂天

Matthew 6:24-34• 24""No one can serve two masters, for either he

will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. " 25""Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Matthew 6:24-34• 26"Look at the birds of the air: they neither

sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" 27"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

• Arctic Terns make the world’s longest migration as they fly an average of 40,000 miles annually between the northern and southern polar regions.

• During a bird’s lifetime, it may fly more than a million miles.

• God prepares food for it all the time in all the places.

Matthew 6:24-34• 28"And why are you anxious about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin," 29"yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

I. Christian Life Style• B. Be Reasonable!• evpieikh,j epieikes• Yielding, not claiming what is rightfully yours.

Kenosis 虛己• 6who, though he was in the form of God, did

not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. 【 Phil 2:6~7 】6 他本有神的形像，不以自己與神同等為強奪的； 7 反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形像，成為人的樣式；【腓 2:6~7 】

II. Why can we behave this nicely?• 6do not be anxious about anything, but in

everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

• 6應當一無罣慮，只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求，和感謝，將你們所要的告訴神。

• Adoration 讚美—媽媽好漂亮 / 天父你好厲害

• Confession 認罪—我錯了

• Thanksgiving 感恩—謝謝你

• Supplication 祈求—我要這個東西

• Adoration 讚美—媽媽好漂亮 / 天父你好厲害

• Confession 認罪—我錯了

• Thanksgiving 感恩—謝謝你

• Supplication 祈求—我要這個東西

III. How God answers our prayers? • 1. Not necessarily our ways.• 2. He will bring us peace.• 3. He will make us grow spiritually.

Conclusion• 4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 【 Phil 4:4~7 】