What's The Catch?

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prayer request

What’s the Catch?

Last week we started our series on prayer and we discussed a few things

Jesus gave us a model prayer in Matthew 6:5-13

Not like the hypocrites

don’t turn prayer into a show

pray to yourself

still ok to pray in public

Looked at the prayer Jesus modeled.

We can address God as Father

We need to recognize God’s kingdom and His will being done

God’s got total control and we should be wanting what He wants

We ask for what we need

even though God already knows

We ask for forgiveness and we forgive others

Keep us away from sin and the evil one

This week I’ve titled this message What’s the Catch?

There is usually a catch behind everything that a person does.

What’s a catch?

A catch is the motivation behind something being done

Going to a car dealership to purchase a vehicle

the sales person will butter you up

get you coffee

call you friend

use the right words

motivated solely to get you to buy a car

Not all people are motivated for themselves or personal reasons

As followers of Christ we should be motivated to do what’s good and what’s right because of Christ

So now I have to ask, what’s your motivation when you pray?

Is it something you feel like you have to do?

the Youth Pastor has been talking about praying so I feel like I have to

something has scared you into praying?

We live in scary times

Do you really want or need something?

I really want this person to fall in love with me

I need an A on this exam

Or is there some other motivation behind your prayer?

Our passage for tonight we’ll look at James 4:3

When we pray, we ask for things we want or need, but what is our motivation?

James addresses that in this verse

Read Passage

So James says you don’t receive because you ask with the wrong motives. So what is the right motives?

Can we see what the right motives look like?

Answer is of course we can and we see it in Jesus

The motive for everything Jesus did, was to give Glory to God.

Through His Relationship With God

We know this was a motivation for Jesus because of His relationship with God

God is the Father, and we see earlier that Jesus called God Father.

Which we are encouraged to do the same

Again, God is the Father of everything

John 12:27-28 says “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say- Father save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your Name.”

So what hour is Jesus talking about here?

He knew that He was about to be handed over and crucified

He could have easily said, no this is to much for me, God save Me, don’t let Me go through with this.

instead Jesus focus was on glorifying God through what He was about to go through.

He knew and understood that there was more to it.

That God was using Him to provide a way for all of humanity to be saved from death

He focused on God first

Our relationship with God should be part of the same motivation when we pray

Most of the time when we pray there is something going on in our life

We have some trouble we are facing

someone we know is sick

we have to make a big decision

All kinds of reasons that prompt us to pray.

And most of the time we focus on what we want to happen.

Doesn’t matter what the outcome will be, but what will make us happy at that moment

Instead, let’s look at and follow Jesus’ example when we pray

Instead of saying “God I really need this to happen”

Let’s try God I would like this to happen, but whatever You allow happen, let it glorify you and let me glorify you.

We won’t always like the answers that God gives us, but God is always glorified.

Jesus showed the right motivations even when He taught

Looking back at Matthew 5:16

Jesus says “In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus repeatedly taught this way.

Jesus would always lead people towards God and glorified Him.

He showed how God was always providing and how God always did what was good and right.

Whenever Jesus performed a miracle, it wasn’t a look at me, look what I did

It was always give glory to God for what He did

Everything that you do, the way your light shines, should always bring glory to God.

So when we pray, let’s be motivated to pray in a way that whatever happens allows us to teach others about God.

I love using my foot as an example.

6 years ago cut my heel really bad.

13ish staples

boot

long recovery

but always praised God it was never worse

asked for prayers for a quick healing full recovery

Still gave God the glory even though things sucked

God set it up where I could share Him with the doctors, nurses, others who would say how lucky I was etc.

I was able to teach others about God and give God glory even though things weren’t the best

Closing out

Going back to James 4:3

when we pray we need to make sure that we are praying with the right motivations

We are not created to fulfil our own self desires, but we were created to glorify God.

We need to remember that when we pray

We should always come to God in a way that whatever we ask for, whatever we want in life, will give Him glory in some way.

We could say everything right, but if we are not praying with the right motivations then it’s all for nothing. Here are a few things to remember

Praying with concern for God’s glory as our motive will sometimes be difficult to do sincerely.

Remember it was difficult for Jesus to go to the cross, but He still did

It’s difficult for us to pray in a way that glorifies God because we like to look out for ourselves

Just recognize it and ask, but always remember and give God glory through everything.

Praying with concern for God’s glory as our motive is a reality when we’re willing for God to withhold the answer if that would bring Him more glory.

Sometimes we don’t get the answer we want right away.

Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42 that if God was willing to take away the need for Him going to the cross, but he said not His will, but God’s be done

It’s difficult to wait on God’s answers sometimes, but let’s keep reminding ourselves that God will do amazing things and hold to that faith.

Praying with concern for God’s glory as our motive is just as valid in praying for ordinary, little things as in praying for big things.

It doesn’t matter how big or how small, we should always go to God for everything in our lives and want to give Him glory honor for answering everything

Praying for someone to be healed that’s sick. Big thing giving God glory when they are healed

Even though that may be them going to heaven to be with Him

Praying for the safe return of your cat that’s lost

This may seem silly but still being able to and willing to give God honor no matter what should be our motivation.

Praying with concern for God’s glory as our motive gives us words to pray when we do not know God’s will in a matter.

We don’t know what’s going to happen when we make big decisions in life

If we are praying in a way that gives God glory, we know that what happens will be used for His good and we will be able to share that goodness with others.

Praying with concern for God’s glory as our motive will bring more peace and rest into our praying

Nothing is more nerve racking than knowing I’m not in control of something.

But I do know that God is in control of everything and when I pray for things I know that God’s got everything in control.