Prayer-Week 1

Introduction

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Heritage Core Value focus to start next month

To prepare our hearts for the event, we are going to spend a few weeks studying prayer

Matthew 6 will be our guide through the rest of the month.

PRAYER

We are taking a deeper look into prayer. Sometimes we only look at the surface level.

Hook: Our tree in the front yard

Jesus continues his Sermon of the Mount by discussing the importance of sincerity in our lives.

Matthew 6:5-8

The section takes place after the lesson about giving with a pure, sincere heart. Jesus kept the same theme when he talked with the disciples about prayer. A few things we see Jesus wanted to tell those who heard him are:

Prayer is expected of people

When your pray…not if

Prayer must be genuine

Through this part of the lesson, we can see:

MAIN POINT: PRAY WITH SINCERITY!!

1. Pray with sincerity…because motives matter when we pray! (Verse 5)

EXPLAIN

It was common in the time for disciples of a teacher to learn how to pray like their teacher. The location isn’t the issue. It is the motives behind the prayer

This is second time within a few verses Jesus uses the word HYPOCRITE. The Bible defines a hyprocrite as this,a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.

Again Jesus assumes that his disciples will pray, but he forbids the prayers of “hypocrites” (see on v. 2). Prayer had a prominent place in Jewish life and led to countless rabbinic decisions (cf. M Berakoth). In synagogue worship someone from the congregation might be asked to pray publicly, standing in front of the ark. And at certain times prayers could be offered in the streets (M Taanith 2:1–2; see on v. 2). But the location was not the critical factor. Neither is the “standing” posture in itself significant. In the Bible people pray prostrate kneeling, sitting, and standing. Again it is the motive that is crucial: “to be seen by men.” And again there is the same reward.

Jesus wants us to know that the posture of the heart is more important than the posture we pray.

ARGUE

Someone might misunderstand this scripture and use it to not pray in public.

ILLUSTRATE

Proper Motives when setting a goal

James 4:3 “You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

APPLICATION

Do you pray in public where others see, but not in private?

What are you motives when you pray?

2. Pray with sincerity…because private prayer is important (Verse 6)

EXPLAIN

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke Matthew 6:6

The public versus private antithesis is a good test of one’s motives; the person who prays more in public than in private reveals that he is less interested in God’s approval than in human praise.

There should be a quiet place when you bring prayers to God that is free of distraction and can be consistent.

In Daniel 6, Daniel had a consistent prayer area in his house that the other officials knew that he prayed. So, they created a scheme to outlaw praying to anyone else except King Darius in order to capture Daniel praying to God. Daniel had a consisten private place for prayer.

ARGUE

“But I can pray wherever” While that is true, there is something impactful about limited distractions and consistency with our prayer life.

ILLUSTRATION

There is beauty with isolation. Cabin in the mountains

APPLICATION

Where is your prayer spot?

3. Pray with sincerity…because our words matter (Verses 7-8)

EXPLAIN

We must be mindful with our words.

Watch for fillers. Pause and listen

Don’t just repeat the same words.

God already know the needs you have.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke Matthew 6:7–8

“As a father knows the needs of his family, yet teaches them to ask in confidence and trust, so does God treat his children

What about devotional prayers? or the Lord’s prayer?

ARGUE

What about praying scriptures?

ILLUSTRATION

Don’t use ChatGPT for your prayers

APPLICATION

Mean what you say

Conclusion

Sum up the three parts of sincerity in our prayers. In order for us to go deeper in our prayer life, we must pray with sincerity.