Valley View Baptist Church

Easter. Resurrection Sunday. What is it about this day that makes it so different than any other day? What is it about Easter Sunday that separates Christianity from all the other religions of the world?

Buddhists can visit the tomb of Buddha. Mormons can visit the remains of Joseph Smith. Muslims can visit the ashes of Muhammad. But what makes Christianity so different from all these is that we cannot visit the remains of Jesus Christ; THERE ARE NO REMAINS! HE IS RISEN!

But, what if Christ had not risen? How we, and our religion, be different?

The Disciples saw Jesus pray one evening and came to a stark realization; they did not know how to really pray. The thought they knew how, but when they witnessed the Lord prayer they realized how poorly they prayed themselves. So, they did the right thing; they asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus proceeded to give them a model prayer.

Tonight we start a new series on Prayer 101: Learning to Talk to God with Part 1 - Opening Your Prayer by Being Aware.

When you begin talking to God in your prayer, you should make yourself aware of a few things to put it in the proper perspective.

Think for a moment about the things that make you happy. Maybe for you it's your family. Maybe you're one of the people whose job makes them happy. Perhaps it's a hobby you really enjoy, or a food you really like. Maybe it's a Vol victory? What makes you happy?

Now, think about what it is that makes you angry. Maybe it's a pet peeve. Or is it the way people act in public or the way they drive? Maybe you get angry at your children sometimes. No matter the person, we all have something that makes us really angry.

The Bible talks a lot about anger. Many people in the Bible were angry and acted on it. It describes a prideful anger and a righteous anger.

This morning Bro. Mike shows us When It's Right to be Angry.

Immediately after the Bible gives us the scriptures on the Spiritual Armor that we need to face our daily battles, we are given a verse on prayer; almost as if God is telling us that once we are armored up, then we must pray in order to advance into battle.

In order to advance forward, we must first fall on our knees before the Lord in prayer. Do you want to advance as a Christian? Do you want to see God move and work wonders? Do you want to see God move in your family or in your church?

Advance on your knees...

We are still a couple of weeks away from Easter, when we remember the culmination of Jesus's first coming. But we might never make it to Easter Sunday. Jesus's second coming could happen before we even finish this sermon...He's Coming!

Just like a child waiting for daddy to return home, recognizing the signs and sounds as he gets closer, so should Christians be awaiting Jesus's return...He's Coming!

If we know that His return is imminent, what should we be doing as we wait for Him? We shouldn't be sitting back, waiting, and relaxing. We should be preparing ourselves, and others, for His return...He's Coming!

Mary and Martha found themselves hosting their friend Jesus in their home on day. Mary sat herself at Jesus' feet while Martha made herself busy with various acts of service within the home as they hosted the Lord. Martha became frustrated with Mary's lack of help. She was stressed, feeling like she was doing all the work and that Jesus wasn't giving her credit for her service. Jesus explained to her that sometimes, sitting at the feet of the Lord is a better thing than the acts of service.

This principle is applicable still today. Are you placing your service to God above your time at the Lord's feet? It will lead you to be stressed, prideful, and self-centered. If you aren't careful, you will become a Martha, caught up in your service and forgetful of the needful thing; sitting at the Master's feet.

But sitting is not to take the place of service. Instead, sitting with Him should fuel our service to Him.