Calling God (1 of 4)
Series: Cell Calls To God
Jeff Strite
Matthew 6:5-13
OPEN: (a deep voiced man was positioned in a side room with microphone and monitor. This opening illustration goes on for a couple of pages but worked well to set up the rest of the sermon)
"Our Father who art in heaven..."
"YES?"
(look up and around suspiciously then bow and say) "Our Father who art in heaven..."
"YES?"
"Who is that!?"
"GOD"
"God???? (pause) Oh… sorry. You startled me!"
"BUT YOU CALLED ME."
"Called you? I was just praying."
"WELL, HERE I AM, WHY DID YOU CALL?"
"I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayer for the day."
"GOOD, GO RIGHT ON."
"Hallowed be thy name..."
"WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
"By what?"
"BY 'HALLOWED BE THY NAME.'"
"It means... it means... I don't know what it means. It's just part of the prayer. What does it mean?"
"IT MEANS 'HONORED, HOLY, WONDERFUL.'"
"Ok. Thank you Lord. "thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'"
"DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?
"Sure, why not?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?"
"Doing? Not much, I guess. I just think it would be great if you got control of everything down here, like you have up there."
"HAVE I GOT CONTROL OF YOU?"
"¬Well, I go to church 2 to 3 times a week."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT ABOUT THOSE BAD HABITS OF YOURS THAT YOU KNOW ARE IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH MY WILL IN YOUR LIFE?"
"But Lord, I'm just as good as most of the people in the church!"
"EXCUSE ME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAYING FOR MY WILL TO BE DONE. IF THAT IS TO HAPPEN, IT WILL HAVE TO START WITH THE ONES WHO ARE PRAYING FOR IT. LIKE YOU, FOR EXAMPLE."
"Oh, all right... I guess I do have some hang-ups... now that you mention it.
"GOOD. NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. WE'LL WORK TOGETHER, YOU AND I. SOME TREMENDOUS VICTORIES CAN BE WON. I'M PROUD OF YOU."
"Look Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. 'Give us this day our daily bread... ...
Series: Cell Calls To God
Jeff Strite
Matthew 6:5-13
OPEN: (a deep voiced man was positioned in a side room with microphone and monitor. This opening illustration goes on for a couple of pages but worked well to set up the rest of the sermon)
"Our Father who art in heaven..."
"YES?"
(look up and around suspiciously then bow and say) "Our Father who art in heaven..."
"YES?"
"Who is that!?"
"GOD"
"God???? (pause) Oh… sorry. You startled me!"
"BUT YOU CALLED ME."
"Called you? I was just praying."
"WELL, HERE I AM, WHY DID YOU CALL?"
"I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayer for the day."
"GOOD, GO RIGHT ON."
"Hallowed be thy name..."
"WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
"By what?"
"BY 'HALLOWED BE THY NAME.'"
"It means... it means... I don't know what it means. It's just part of the prayer. What does it mean?"
"IT MEANS 'HONORED, HOLY, WONDERFUL.'"
"Ok. Thank you Lord. "thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'"
"DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?
"Sure, why not?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?"
"Doing? Not much, I guess. I just think it would be great if you got control of everything down here, like you have up there."
"HAVE I GOT CONTROL OF YOU?"
"¬Well, I go to church 2 to 3 times a week."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT ABOUT THOSE BAD HABITS OF YOURS THAT YOU KNOW ARE IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH MY WILL IN YOUR LIFE?"
"But Lord, I'm just as good as most of the people in the church!"
"EXCUSE ME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAYING FOR MY WILL TO BE DONE. IF THAT IS TO HAPPEN, IT WILL HAVE TO START WITH THE ONES WHO ARE PRAYING FOR IT. LIKE YOU, FOR EXAMPLE."
"Oh, all right... I guess I do have some hang-ups... now that you mention it.
"GOOD. NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. WE'LL WORK TOGETHER, YOU AND I. SOME TREMENDOUS VICTORIES CAN BE WON. I'M PROUD OF YOU."
"Look Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. 'Give us this day our daily bread... ...
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