Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Matthew 6.5-8

How NOT To Pray

OPEN:

Someone wrote: Prayer is a universal human activity.

However, no one really agrees about how or what we ought to pray.

Prosperity- Addicted-Televangelists tell us to pray for health and wealth.

Monks urge us to repeat sacred mantras.

Muslims suggest prayer five times a day.

Animists pray to unseen spirits.

Sports fans pray for their team to win.

The Lord Jesus Christ teaches us how to pray.

He gives a one model that we know as the Lord’s prayer.

That’s what we’ll work through over the coming weeks, as we cry out, “Lord, Teach Us To Pray.”

That cue is taken from the model prayer shared in Luke

Not only did Jesus teach us how to structure our prayers, he modeled a life that was devoted to prayer.

But before that, he helps us know, HOW NOT TO PRAY.

(PAINTBALL RULES) A couple of weekends ago, JT and I and 2 friends went “paintballing”.

A family member had given JT a gift card which included much of the costs of the day like the rental of equipment.

Our Referee was great to walk us through everything since it was our first time.

But he said, right up front, before he showed us how to do anything…here are the 2 things you can’t do!

Once we cross the LINE to go in - you cannot remove your face shield / mask.

Once we cross the LINE to leave - you cannot have your muzzle (end of your paintball marker) uncovered.

Everybody makes mistakes - but if you forget break these 2 rules - you won’t get to play.

If you keep breaking them - you won’t get to engage at all today.

The concern was for our safety.

It was said multiple times throughout the day…before each new “game”.

These were safeguards.

Before I tell you what TO DO…let me clearly show you what you can’t do!

OBSERVATIONS

It flows right out of the context of Matt 6.1-4

Seek secrecy for your good deeds.

Do not even see your own virtue.

Hide from yourself that which you yourself have done that is commendable; for the proud contemplation of your own generosity may tarnish all your alms.

Keep the thing so secret that even you yourself are hardly aware that you are doing anything at all praiseworthy.

Let God be present, and you will have enough of an audience.

He will reward you, reward you “openly”, reward you as a Father rewards a child, reward you as one who saw what you did, and knew that you did it wholly unto him.

Lord, help me, when I am doing good, to keep my left hand out of it, that I may have no sinister motive, and no desire to have a present reward of praise among my fellow-men.

C. H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Book of Matthew (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1893), 33.

1. WHEN YOU PRAY

Jesus assumed His disciples would pray.

He had no category a for prayerless disciple.

Jesus modeled that life of prayer:

Scripture records that Jesus was a man of prayer.

Process that: the Son of God, the Word of God with flesh on, had a prayer life that the disciples wanted to know more about.

Though we don’t have record of the content of many of his prayers…we know that they moved the disciples significantly…so much so that one of His disciples asks the astounding question, “Lord, would you teach us to pray.”

(Luke records) they had seen him pray...

at his Baptism (Luke 3:21)

at the choosing of His disciples (Luke 6.12)

alone (Luke 5.16, Luke 9.18)

with people around (Luke 9:28-29)

Later, he would pray

for Simon (Luke 22:32)

before his betrayal in the garden (Luke 22:40) o

n the cross Luke 23:46)

When the disciple made this request, I don’t think it’s because he had never prayed before.

Prayer was a regular part of Hebrew tradition and expressions of worship.

But there was something so distinct, so personal, so kingdom-oriented about the way Jesus prayed, he knew he didn’t have the fundamentals down from Christ if he wanted to touch Heaven like Christ did.

By the way - If you see someone disciplined in an area that you need help in, you should go to that person and say, “hey, can you teach me anything about that?” That’s the beauty of this multi-generational church we call West Cabarrus.

Stephen Hooks writes, “A surprising number of Christians never do develop a healthy prayer life.

Prayer is often reduced to little more than a polite formality before meals, or a hasty word at the end of the day, or a last resort, when they have nowhere else to turn.”

Transition

We have a command from God to pray.

Even under the old covenant, the people of God would cry out to their Father in Heaven.

Isaiah 64:8–9

We have a need to pray to spend time with our Father, and petition Him for the things He’s told us to ask for.

Jesus has the prescription.

He has given all the components necessary

to transform our prayer life,

to remold our minds,

reshape our worldview,

to set a watch over our lips and a guard over our tongue,

to set the stage for revival…

Are you intrigued?

Cry out with me, “Lord, Teach Us To Pray!”

Mom / Dad - does your prayer life need life?

“Lord, Teach Us To Pray!”

Student - do you want to be a part of something bigger than what you currently know now? “Lord, Teach Us To Pray!”

Brother / Sister - if every prayer you prayed in the last 30 days was answered,

would God’s Kingdom be advanced any?

would there be any new Christians?

would our missionaries be strengthened and fruitful?

would there be less unreached people groups?

would Jesus have come back?

OR would just have more stuff, less stress, no suffering, and an even better lot in life?

I’m not saying that to be harsh…but church, we need to pray together.

One of our most desperate needs and most fervent cries to the LORD should be, Lord Teach Us To Pray!

The fact that we even pray is a GRAND display of dependence on our creator and King.

But he immediately addresses the temptations that he knew all the disciples would face.

praying with others in mind - trying to impress those who might be listening.

warned them not to fall into this trap of being like the pagans and the hypocrites.

2. Don’t LOOK like hypocrites!

[God is not in the boxseats looking for GRANDSTANDING.]

Standing is okay - it was a normal posture of prayer

Praying in the synagogues was more than okay

Praying on the street corners is/was okay.

Even with the Pauline epistles, we are commanded to pray without ceasing.

…but it all goes to pot when it’s done to be seen of others.

THERE IS A STRONG CAUTION HERE FOR US ENGAGED IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD - WE HAVE BEEN DUPED INTO LIVING OUR LIVES…PUBLISHING OUR FEEDS…FOR OTHERS TO SEE, FOR THEIR APPLAUSE!

We need to get a handle on this.

We need to be aware of how subtly this can creep into our prayer lives.