Praying to the Great Provider: Sincerity Before God in Prayer
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 39:52
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· 9 viewsThe Christian practices righteousness by praying to an audience of ONE whose providence extends over every need.
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“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
The temptation before us today as we consider this text of Scripture is numerous.
One of those pitfalls that I want to caution us right up front is the thought,
“This text of Scripture would be good for so and so.”
“Uncle Bill needs to really hear this message.”
We need to stop and consider what the Spirit says to Gospel Life Baptist Church.
We need to stop and consider what the Spirit says to us as individuals.
What we are looking at today really cannot be noticed in other people.
In some extreme examples as Jesus points out it will be easier than others to point out.
But what we need to stop and consider is our own posture in prayer.
Before we look at anything else today, I want to plea with you to consider the warning of the risen Christ from this text.
Prayer is meant to be communion with God.
The Paradigm of Pursuing the Greater Reward
The Paradigm of Pursuing the Greater Reward
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus warned of two things in Matthew 6:1 that we mentioned last week.
Forsaking the motive of being seen by others.
Motived by the Cheers of Heaven
Similar to the section previous, Jesus warns from being like the hypocrites that give only to be seen by others.
Today the topic shifts to warning against the joy of praying in public to be seen.
They enjoy being noticed by others more than they enjoy praying.
They enjoy being perceived as a “spiritual” person more than they enjoy the act of praying itself.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Praying to our Father for an audience of ONE.
Praying to our Father for an audience of ONE.
In the Synagogue where everyone went to worship you would have all different kinds of people kneeling, sitting, and everyone was there.
It was the center of life in Israel.
But in this place of public worship, you would have a person taking a VERY PUBLIC posture.
The same is true of the street corners which is the same in our own town of Keyser.
Out on the main drag through Keyser we have a street corner and it is the MOST PUBLIC place in town.
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
Literally verse 11 could be rendered, “he prayed to himself.”
Hypocrites pray to themselves for an audience.
Hypocrites pray to themselves for an audience.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
The Pharisee’s that act hypocritically by praying to be seen by others have already received their reward.
They have received the reward of other’s recognition.
The problem HERE similar to last week is what are we seeking.
Last week we saw the folly of wanting others to praise us for giving to the needy.
“To have a real picture and a true understanding of [sin], you must look at the at some great saint, some unusually devout and devoted man. Look at him there upon his knees in the very presence of God.”
He goes on to say,
“Even there self is intruding itself, and the temptation is for him to think about himself, to think pleasantly and pleasurably about himself, and really to be worshipping himself rather than God.” —M. Lloyd-Jones
Outward and gross forms of sin are sinful.
But equally sinful is the religious man praying to himself.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Publicly praying for other’s recognition.
Publicly praying for other’s recognition.
Honored Among Men Hypocrites
Honored Among Men Hypocrites
This type of hypocrite is the same that we saw last week.
It’s not the deceptive hypocrite that is trying to deceive people.
Nor is it the kind of hypocrite that is harsh and condemning toward others.
It is the kind of hypocrite that wants to be viewed as a “spiritual Christian.”
They are the kind of Christian that prays often publicly but never in private.
They are quick to pray when asked publicly but never when they’re alone.
They are quick to offer up BIG LONG audacious prayers in public are completely silent.
Do I pray more frequently and more fervently when alone with God than I do in public? Do I love the secret place of prayer? Is my public praying simply the overflow of my private praying? If the answers are not enthusiastic affirmatives, we fail the test and fall under Jesus’ condemnation. We are hypocrites.
“Could it be that the prime reason we do not see more prayers answered is because we are less concerned with bringing our requests to God than with showing off before men?” —D.A. Carson
This kind of hypocrisy is dangerous because it can go unchecked in the soul.
This kind of hypocrisy is dangerous because it has to do with motives.
The Doctrine of the Depravity of Man and Prayer.
The doctrine of the depravity of man should again bring us low to remind us that even in our most holy and reverential acts like prayer can be tainted with sin.
We tend to think that if we can get away from sin and closer to God through prayer, that sin will no longer haunt us.
The reality of the doctrine of depravity is that sin is not ONLY what afflicts us in a far away country like the story of the prodigal son.
But sin is also what afflicts the elder brother as well (Luke 15:11-32).
Sin is so terrible that it follows us into our prayer closets.
Like a destructive cancer that would destroy the initial paradise of Eden, sin continues to afflict us.
Even in our most holy endeavors, sin is present.
But Jesus warns here that we are sinners all the way down.
We are sinners all the way down.
Which demands that when we speak of salvation, we need salvation all the way down.
We need salvation all the way down to retrieve us from the pit of “self-absorption.”
King Jesus describes what prayer is like in the kingdom.
It requires salvation not just from past sin, but even our best efforts as born again believers can never save us.
Or to put it another way…
There is a double grace that comes from heaven.
“(1) that being reconciled to God through Christ’s blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead of a judge a gracious Father; and (2) that sanctified by Christ’s Spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life.” —John Calvin
The first grace from God is the right standing that we receive upon the merits of Christ.
We need the declared righteousness that comes from God alone on the basis of Jesus Christ.
We need Jesus Christ and Him crucified to see God as a gracious Father instead of a judge toward us.
But the second is that we are changed and purified by our life in the Spirit.
We need the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to transform us and change us more into the image of Christ.
But this week is focused on recognition.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Everyone wants to be recognized.
Picture the small child incessantly seeking their father’s attention.
We are attention seekers.
But the difference here is that the Christian is ONLY satisfied with being recognized by God.
The Christian desires above the recognition of others the recognition of our HEAVENLY Father.
Where does the Christian want recognition?
The Father sees in secret.
The Father sees in secret.
Whenever YOU ALL pray!
Not if you pray.
Not you may pray.
But when YOU ALL pray.
Although Jesus is addressing them as a group, it is with respect to private prayer.
Prayer is never meant to be a show.
It is meant to be a communion with God.
We pray to an audience of ONE.
We give to an audience of ONE.
We fast to an audience of ONE.
The Christian communes with the Father through the Son of God in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian communes with the Father through the Son of God in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Notice how Jesus elevates this by saying, “into your inner room” and “close the door.”
The point here again is not to get all worked up on being in the most central room in your home.
The intent is to pray in SECRET.
When we pray in secret we pray to our Heavenly Father who sees in SECRET.
The result of our Heavenly Father who sees in secret is He will reward us.
Is the issue here with praying publicly?
“We pray publicly every week, shouldn’t we pray in our closet's?”
“It seems like this text is saying that we should never pray publicly.”
Again this is no different than as we have seen Jesus say things that on the surface would look ludicrous,
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” (Matthew 5:29)
It’s not that we shouldn’t take Jesus’ words seriously, we need to take them as serious as possible and yet recognize that there is something deeper happening behind the command.
Jesus commands that we go into our rooms in order to avoid seeking the praise and approval of others.
This does not mean we should not pray publicly.
The early church prayed publicly.
Jesus Himself prayed publicly.
Paul commanded that we pray publicly.
It’s clear when we read the rest of the NT that public prayer is not only encouraged but commanded.
I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
Praying in Secret and Still Missing the Point
It is possible to pray in “secret” and let everyone know that you’re a man or woman who prays and secret
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The Father rewards in secret.
The Father rewards in secret.
But there is something deeper happening in this section that I want to explain by using a latin term.
The phrase coram Deo comes from two words which mean, “Before the face of God.”
I think this phrase is helpful because it is the sum total of what Jesus is encouraging us toward in giving, praying, and fasting.
We are to live all of life before the face of God.
“To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.” —R.C. Sproul
May we hear Jesus’ plea here for us to pray before the face of God.
To realize the utter amazing reality of what our prayer life is.
We are truly bringing our requests before Almighty God.
The God who made Jupiter, and the billions of galaxies is the God to whom we pray.
Do your prayers bring you into the presence of God?
I don’t mean just praying harder.
I don’t mean just praying more audacious prayers.
I mean do you realize who you’re talking to when you pray.
“we should never utter one syllable of prayer, either in public or in private, until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and are actually praying to him.”
Praying to our Father––the Great Provider.
Praying to our Father––the Great Provider.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
A photo circulating that reads…
“Dear Jesus,” then a bunch of scrambled words that don’t mean anything and concludes with “Amen”
How should we think of something like that?
In some ways it communicates that God already knows your needs.
But in another way, that sign communicates that all we need to approach God and just mumble a bunch of words misses what Jesus says here.
The word “heap up empty phrases” can be taken in two ways.
The first would see it as
“to speak much or extensively, with a possible added implication of meaningless words—‘to use many words, to speak for a long time’”(Louw & Nida).
This could be the case because it seems the Pharisee’s were trying to get others to be impressed by how spiritual they were.
The second use means…
“to utter senseless sounds or to speak indistinctly and incoherently—‘to babble’” (Louw & Nida).
Either way, the words that these hypocrites are using is a kind of nonsensical kind.
Matthew iv. Prayer (6:5–15)
“mumble gibberish believed to have magical powers,”
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Mumbling many words ≠ heard words.
Mumbling many words ≠ heard words.
In 1 Kings 18, when Elijah had a confrontation with the prophets of Baal, they had a similar view of prayer.
They believed in Baal and what they believed could confidently be called: Paganism.
Paganism is the belief that if we do the right things in the right way then we will somehow be pleasing before God.
If I do good things, then God will bless me.
If I do bad things, then God will curse me.
This belief system within the prophets of Baal.
They thought if they just prayed in the right way.
If they just prayed hard enough.
Then Baal would hear them.
This is how paganism works.
But it is not how our heavenly Father works.
Elijah mocked these prophets by jesting that their god had went to the bathroom.
In Ecclesiastes 5:2, there is wisdom to let our words be few before God.
The fear of God should prompt us to speak few words because we are extremely finite beings.
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
The problem here is not that the follower of Jesus keeps on praying or prays at length as much as being motivated by the belief that more words or more eloquent words bring more power.
We are commended in Scripture to continue to come to God with our needs and requests.
He delights to hear them again and again.
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
So it’s not the continued coming thats the problem.
The problem is the belief that the many words make the prayer more effective or stronger.
Or God hears them more because of their many words.
Or God hears their many words because of how devoted they are.
Jesus Himself they said would pray all night (Luke 6:12) and He taught them to not lose heart in prayer.
Prayer and NOT Introspection
It’s possible to read this text that Jesus is giving us today and become hyper fixated on your own prayer life. And to do so would be folly.
It would be foolishness to hear what Jesus is saying here and become hyper focused on your own prayer life.
It’s already folly to focus on other peoples prayer lives.
Because we do not know what’s in the heart of man.
But the searching reality of this text is that God sees everything.
He knows everything.
There’s nothing hidden from his sight.
And yet we’re called to pray this supposed paradox should be the fuel for our prayer lives.
The sovereign creator of the universe sees and knows everything and yet invites us to pray.
He invites us to ask of him.
The caution here is to not pray like the Gentiles who don’t know God.
The Father providential knows.
The Father providential knows.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
We are guarded in our prayer life by the doctrine of the providence of God.
God‘s providence overall means that he governs and cares for all things.
“God’s works of providence are His most holy wise and powerful, preserving and governing all their creatures and all their actions.”
To know God’s providential care, changes us.
To know God’s providential care makes us pray different.
I know that God knows every single problem that I’m facing in my life, I pray differently.
The doctrine of God‘s providence, though is more than just mere knowledge, it’s that God our heavenly father works all things according to the council of his will.
God works all things according to his purposes, and I pray differently.
God‘s providence is not meant to be an add-on addition to my prayer life.
The providence of God is meant to be the rock, solid, unshifting reality of my prayer time.
Prayer is not primarily about power, prestige, or position.
Prayer is primarily about presence.
Not primarily our presence with God as much as his presence with us.
If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
The Father providentially provides.
The Father providentially provides.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Compared to the actors of prayers in the Pharisee’s.
Jesus’ followers should be different in the way they pray.
They don’t just pray a mumbled jumbled mess and hope that through their many words that they’ll be heard.
One of the guards against hypocritical
“They pray, not to inform the Father on matters of which he is ignorant, but to worship him.” — Leon Morris
Communion is the aim of our prayer life.
Communing with the Father through the Spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus.
We commune with Him.
“To live all of life coram Deo is to live a life of integrity. It is a life of wholeness that finds its unity and coherency in the majesty of God. A fragmented life is a life of disintegration.
It is marked by inconsistency, disharmony, confusion, conflict, contradiction, and chaos. The Christian who compartmentalizes his or her life into two sections of the religious and the nonreligious has failed to grasp the big idea.
The big idea is that all of life is religious or none of life is religious. To divide life between the religious and the nonreligious is itself a sacrilege.” —R.C. Sproul
I love hearing a child pray.
There is something so beautiful about the prayers of a child.
When a child prays, there is no hypocrisy.
When a child genuinely prays, they do so with innocence.
They are not putting on a show.
They are simply coming to God in their need.
We don’t force God’s hand.
We don’t manipulate the hand of the Sovereign Creator.
The Christian practices righteousness by praying to an audience of ONE whose providence extends over every need.
The Christian practices righteousness by praying to an audience of ONE whose providence extends over every need.