Bible Class: Lord Teach Us... To Pray 1.3

Lord, Teach Us… To Pray…Hypocrisy – 1.3 When teaching about driving, be sure to tell the student not to… When teaching about firearms, be sure to tell the student not to… When teaching about choosing a mate, be sure to tell the student not to… When teaching about being Christian, be sure to tell the student not to… Luke 11:1 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Matthew 6:5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites.. Prayer Principals From Last Week 1 Don’t pray hypocritically. There is no reward in it. 2 In the same way that our unseen God is powerful, unseen prayer is powerful. 3 Your prayers don’t need to be long and repetitive. God hears well and remembers perfectly. 4 God already knows your request. Your heart’s desire for relationship is what he really wants to hear. 5 The real reward of genuine prayer is a deeper sense of God’s grace. And who doesn’t need that? It is very important for us to understand – when Jesus refers to hypocrites, he is talking about______________________________________________________ More From Jesus On Hypocrites After each “woe,” restate Jesus’ warning in your own words. Matthew 23:13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. I think he is saying_________________________________________________ 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. I think he is saying_________________________________________________ 16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. I think he is saying_________________________________________________ 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. I think he is saying_________________________________________________ 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. I think he is saying_________________________________________________ 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. I think he is saying_________________________________________________ 29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! I think he is saying_________________________________________________ I think it’s safe to say that, when it comes to hypocrites, Jesus is_____________ _________________________________________________________________ Why?____________________________________________________________ A Sobering Closing Thought – A careful reading of the four gospels reveals a rather surprising and sobering fact. Are you ready for it? Here goes… Jesus never spoke one angry word to a pagan or an unbeliever. Whether it was an obnoxious woman at a well, a crooked tax collector in a tree, a woman “caught” in adultery, the Roman soldiers that nailed him to a cross… With all of them he was patient, inviting, merciful, even forgiving – “Father, forgive them… Even a wretched, crucified thief received a promise of paradise, not purgatory. But to those who claimed to be the people of God, Jesus was angry, judgmental and dismissive. He was, at times, even frustrated with and critical of his disciples. But to the lost, he spoke words of love. Should we sit up and take notice? We are, now, the people that claim to be God’s people. What are the implications for us? Just something to think about…