Methods and Motives of Prayer

Open: What do you do when you have free time? There are those things in our lives that we have to do: upholsters have furniture to be assembled, truckers have to deliver loads, paramedics have calls to run, teachers have lesson plans to develop, and students have papers to write and books to read. On top of these things, parents have children to feed, and a variety of places to get them to on time. We are busy people!

Transition: There is an old saying: “if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy!” A very accurate statement for today’s world. Time, however, is the great equalizer. Regardless of income level or station in life, we all have the same number of hours and minutes in a day. The question for this morning is this: how much of our discretionary time is spent in prayer? How often and how deeply do we commune with God?

Prayer is a vital component in the life of Citizens of the Kingdom. so it is no surprise that Jesus sets forth important principles for God-honoring prayer during His sermon of the Mount. Many Bible teachers consider this teaching on prayer to be “the heart of the Sermon on the Mount.” What we have come to know as the Lord’s Prayer does have a prominent place in the sermon and it is wise for us to familiarize ourselves with these principles.

READ the TEXT: Matthew 6:5-13

The Expectation is that KC’s will enogage in prayer (th the first four (4) verses of this passage and look at the concept of prayer itself. In these verses Jesus gives us His expectations for prayer along with two broad principles that should shape our prayer lives. The expectation is that we WILL ACTUALLY pray, and the principles He gives deal with our motives for prayer and with the methods of our prayer.

The Expectation is that KC’s will engage in prayer (Matt 6:5a)

Explanation: Just like the performance of charitable deeds (Matt 6:2), Prayer is one of the expected activities for Kingdom Citizens. Note that Jesus says when you pray, not if you pray. Believers are to be people of prayer. In His book on the Lord’s Prayer, Ken Hemphill states that one of our main problems in the area of prayer is what he terms the “phantom prayer,” meaning that we simply don’t really engage in praying.

Illustration: Passing out ‘round tuits” to children

Argument: This may be a good point to ask: What is prayer? Since it is an expectation that the King has for His subjects, we should have a good understanding of what is involved. Prayer is our opportunity to enter into fellowship with the Creator God of the Universe. Prayer is our conversation with the Father, the time when we enter into His presence in a special way. Prayer is talking with God through praise and petition in a sense of humble dependence. Prayer is the believer seeking to know and understand more fully the will of the King.

Application: Prayer is a privilege. We who are IN Christ have the privilege of entering into the presence of the most important being in the entire universe, and this access is available 24/7 with no delays! Almost every known religion has a spiritual component called prayer. Without exception, ALL other members of religions (Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mormons, etc.) are talking to empty air. There is only One God, and Jehovah has limited access to Himself to those who are in Christ Jesus. What a privilege we have! Let’s be about the business of praying and communing with the Father!

Kingdom Citizens are to have the proper motive for prayer (Matt 6:5-6)

Explanation: Jesus once again takes the Pharisees to the woodshed, this time for their hypocritical approach to prayer. The pharisees were what might be termed “professional prayers.” They were serious about praying and made sure they prayed three times a day and they ensured they had the correct wording for their petitions for the Almighty. Jesus called them hypocrites and stated they would receive nothing from Him. They were not interested in God’s Agenda, but were focused on self-glory. When they prayed in public, they wanted to hear the applause. Jesus told them that would be all they got!

Illustrate: We can be guilty of this. The KJV prayer that is full of thees and thous.

Argument: The remedy for phony prayer is to remove the possibility for praying for an audience. Jesus instructs us to engage in private prayer where there is no temptation to show off for others. When it is only you and God, most of us aren’t going to waste anytime trying to fool Him. When we practice private prayer, we are much more authentic!

NOTE: This instruction for private prayer does not rule out all public prayer as sinful. Jesus Himself prayed in public (John 17 for one example), Daniel prayed in view of others, Solomon led in public worship through prayer, as did the disciples. [As pastor, I led us in two prayers in this service].

Application: Be honest and authentic whenever and wherever you pray. Remember that we are to please the Audience of One!

Make your private prayer time the priority. Your private prayer life is foundational to your lifestyle as a Kingdom Citizen and for your effectiveness in Kingdom Service.

Kingdom Citizens are to avoid becoming ritualistic in our prayer life (Matt 6:7-8)

Explanation: Jesus’ second warning about improper prayer is to prohibit the pagan practice of meaningless repetition. Jesus is calling to mind the prayer practices of the false religions. Most of the praying to false idols (whether the Roman or Greek pantheon of little gods) involving long, drawn out attempts to gain the attention of the idol. The worshiper must needs go to great lengths of repeated phrases to ensure a hearing. And even with all that, these worshipers of idols had to deal with the indifference of the gods - he never knew if he got through or not!

Example: Elijah and the pagans on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:20ff) The pagans called upon the false gods from morning to noon with no answer (v. 26) and then they “raved on” until the evening (v. 29) and still had nothing.

Argument: Our God is not off on a journey to a distant galaxy, nor is He napping. We do not have to shout at Him to gain His attention - He is not deaf.

Illustrate: Scottie trying to talk to a Hispanic family. She got louder when they couldn’t understand.

God is not a genie in a bottle who responds when certain conditions are met (say the right words in the right sequence and then the answer is guaranteed). That is not a prayer - it is a spell!

Nor are we informing God of anything. He is the One who inhabits Eternity, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who knows and controls all things. We are continually surprised by our changing circumstances, but God is not. We do NOT have to let Him in on what is going on in our lives - He already knows it and He is the One who is allowing our circumstances to invade our lives.

Conclusion:

Just as parents desire for their children to love them for who they are, not for what they can get, so God desires for us, His children, to desire to spend time with Him because we WANT to be in His presence and we have the desire to know and understand His will and not our own.

Prayer is not our attempt to change God’s will, it is for us to bring Him praise and glory as the One who is worthy of worship and for us to be conformed to His will. The Wednesday night group has been going through the catechism of the WSC and question 1 asks: What is the chief end of man?

The answer: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One way we accomplish this is through a prayer life that is biblical in format and pleasing to God.