Sermon On the Mount - Prayer

Introduction

Open with prayer.

Who am I?

What do I do and what qualifies me to be talking to you?

Practical Application for Prayer

Who has a tradition in their family to pray when they see an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency?

Does that prayer help?

What is intercessory prayer?

Story of Max’s Roadhouse Shooting incident to show the importance of intercessory prayer as well as personal prayer.

Passage for the Day

Matthew 6: 5-8

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

Grasping the Text in Their Town - What Did This Passage Mean to the Original Audience

At the time Matthew wrote this passage, public prayer was common in both Jewish and Roman cultures. The religious leaders often prayed in public spaces to gain attention and appear more righteous than others. Jesus addresses this outward display of religion, warning against prayer as a means of drawing attention. In Gentile cultures, repetitive chanting or long prayers were thought to manipulate the gods into listening, a practice Jesus critiques as empty and ineffective.

Measuring the Width of the River - Difference Between the Original Audience and Us

While public prayer is still common today, the cultural context has shifted. In the modern world, Christians are less likely to pray openly on street corners, but there can still be a temptation to pray for human approval or to think of prayer as a way to manipulate God. Christianity today is more diverse, and empty repetitions in prayer may take other forms, such as praying out of habit without focusing on the relationship with God. (Praying meaningless prayers before meals, before bed etc.)

Crossing the Principilizing Bridge - Identifying a Theological Theme

The primary principle in this passage is the importance of sincerity and humility in prayer. Who is prayer for? Prayer is not for the eyes of others but for communion with God, who already knows our needs. It is about heart attitude, not outward display or lengthy words. Jesus encourages intimate, personal, and sincere communication with the Father. Tie back in to the shooting story - “God protect me, I don’t want to die.” Sincere prayer that worked. My prayer was direct communication with God and not a crazy long, eloquent prayer with beautiful language that rhymed. It was something I would say to a friend or my own earthly father if I needed their help.

Consulting the Biblical Map - Identifying Other Passages in Scripture that Support this Theme

Luke 18:10-14 (Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector) reinforces the idea that humility in prayer pleases God.1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that “the Lord looks on the heart,” showing that God values the inner attitude over outward appearances.Philippians 4:6 speaks of bringing our requests to God, echoing the idea that we don't need to use many words because God knows our needs.

Grasping the Text in Our Town - Practical Application

This passage calls for a reassessment of how we approach prayer. It encourages us to pray with genuine humility and not for the sake of performance or impressing others. It also reassures us that we don't need to use eloquent or repetitive language to be heard by God. The focus should be on authentic connection with Him in private, trusting that He already knows and cares about our needs.

Approach prayer with sincerity, avoiding any desire to impress others.

Develop a personal, private prayer life, cultivating a space where you can commune with God.

Trust that God knows your needs before you ask, and let this trust guide the simplicity and authenticity of your prayers.

Closing

Close with prayer