Jesus Teaches us to Pray
Notes
Transcript
Last week we began a new series entitled “The Power of Routine.” Throughout this series, we are going to look at 4 elements that every believer needs to strongly consider making a part of their spiritual habits/routines. Last week we looked at the importance of reading and studying the Word of God. Today we want to look at the subject of prayer and more specifically what Jesus had to say about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Join me please in
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
These verses serve as an introduction to the “Model Prayer” in vv. 9-13. Jesus begins with a warning. Good things can be misused and abused and Jesus did not want His followers to be “like the hypocrites.” Yes, even hypocrites go through the ritual of prayer. However, true, communion with God is not an empty ritual, but rather should be heartfelt communication from those of us who have been redeemed by the blood of His dear Son, and reconciled to Him through faith. We can cry out, “Abba, Father” and know that we can come boldly to the throne of grace to find help in our time of need. We can ask, seek and knock, knowing that in God’s time and in God’s way we will “receive, find, and the door will be opened to us.”
The first warning Jesus gives us is not to be like the hypocrites to pray so that they “might be seen by others.”
The first warning Jesus gives us is not to be like the hypocrites to pray so that they “might be seen by others.”
Their praying was about “public recognition.” They were more interested in being “seen by men, than being heard by God.”
In contrast, Jesus instructs His followers to find a “secret place” to pray. When we pray in secret we avoid the temptation to “put on a show.” It’s just us and God. God’s not interested in a “show.” He knows our hearts. He knows our secret thoughts. He knows us inside and out and although we might be able to fool those who see and hear us pray out loud, we are not going to fool the omniscient Creator of the universe! Rather than being rewarded by the accolades of other people who are impressed with our public praying, we will be rewarded by our Heavenly Father who hears our private cries!
The second warning is against using “empty phrases” like the Gentiles (heathens) do
The second warning is against using “empty phrases” like the Gentiles (heathens) do
I found it very interesting while studying for this message that many times the “heathen” would use “repetition” in their prayers because they believed that if they pestered their “gods” long enough they would finally grant their request.
R. T. France notes...
Prayer in the non-Jewish world was often characterized particularly by formal invocations and magical incantations…This is…a prohibition…of thoughtless, mechanical prayer. It is not many words that God responds to, but an attitude of prayerful dependence.
Stuart Weber goes on to say...
Matthew A. Seek Your Reward from God, Not from People (6:1–18)
It is ironic that this prohibition against meaningless repetition is issued immediately before the Lord’s Prayer. This passage is, without doubt, the most-often-repeated-without-meaning passage in the Bible.
So right off the bat, Jesus warns us against being like the “heathens” and the “hypocrites.”
Now we see the “Model Prayer,” sometimes referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer” in
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Please note Jesus did not say, “pray this.” He said “pray like this.” He doesn’t want this to become a “vain repetition” either! He gives us a model that recognizes two things. First, we see...
A Recognition of Relationship
A Recognition of Relationship
The first relationship we see in this prayer is a relationship of a “father to a child.” We can call Him...
Our Father (v. 9a)
Our Father (v. 9a)
Every true believer in Christ has become God’s child through adoption. We are God’s through creation, and through faith in Christ, we are God’s through redemption! We become God’s children and He becomes our Father! Just as children should have an open door of communion with their earthly fathers, we have an even greater open door of communication with our Heavenly Father! Jesus used a wonderful illustration about prayer and parent/child relationships when He said...
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
As R. T. France said this about God...
Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary vi. Teaching on Religious Observance (6:1–18)
who is at the same time in heaven, transcendent, all-powerful, the Lord of the universe and yet Our Father, concerned for the needs of each disciple, and entering into an intimate relationship with them.
While He is “our Father” He is also “our Father in Heaven.” He is still the awesome God of the universe, not just a “chum or pal.” One commentary addresses this...
Matthew and Mark Notes
The family imagery speaks of the intimacy of the disciples’ relationship to God, but the qualifier “in heaven” reminds one that God is not a chum or a pal. Rather, one is to remember that the awesome God of heaven has come near in the person of his beloved Son and counts disciples of the Kingdom as his dear family (cf. Isa 57:15).
As our “Father”, He is also...
Our Provider (v. 11)
Our Provider (v. 11)
Notice again
Give us this day our daily bread,
We are His dependents! We are His dependent children. He provides the oxygen we breathe, the brain waves that tells our involuntary organs to function, the water we drink, and yes even the food we eat.
Far too often it’s easy to take for granted our own independence. However, reality is that we are not independent at all. The things we think we provide for ourselves through our work, could not be accomplished unless He gave us the mental and physical ability to work. The sooner we realize how dependent we are the better off we will be.
When we pray we take time to recognize we are dependent upon His provision. We are His dependents and He is our provider, therefore, we ask for our daily bread.
Stuart Weber notes...
Prayer is not for the purpose of informing God. Rather, prayer expresses to him (and to ourselves) the fact of our impotence to meet our own needs. Biblical prayer is an act of faith, an expression of dependence on God.
He goes on to say...
Matthew A. Seek Your Reward from God, Not from People (6:1–18)
This request acknowledges God as the provider of every physical need, but it also reminds the petitioner to trust God to provide as the needs arise, and not necessarily in advance. Compare this with the lesson Israel had to learn during forty years of daily manna; any excess spoiled by the second day. They were always just one day away from starvation, and yet they ate well during all those decades.
Never forget God is your provider! We are one step away from leaving this world and heading into eternity. We need to learn to be dependent upon Him for all we need and TRUST Him for all we need!
He is our Father, He is our Provider and He is also...
Our Redeemer (v. 12)
Our Redeemer (v. 12)
Note again
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
We turn to Him forgiveness because we recognize and realize that we have sinned and we have fallen short of His glory. We owed a sin debt we could never pay and provides redemption and forgiveness for us so that our sins and be removed.
The fact should lead us to freely forgive those who have wronged us. If our perfect Creator can forgive the multitude of sins that we have committed against Him then we certainly should depend upon His grace to forgive those who have wronged us.
We also see that He is...
Our Protector (v. 13)
Our Protector (v. 13)
Notice
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
We’ve already acknowledged that He is our Father. One thing that father’s do is provide for their children, but they also “protect” their children. As His children we realize there are dangers, there are trials, and their are temptations.
So we stop, pause and pray and ask Him to DELIVER US from these temptations and deliver us from the “evil one.”
When we do this we are ACKNOWLEDGING our WEAKNESS! We are humbling ourselves and admitting… “God I need YOUR PROVISION (my daily bread) and I need YOUR PROTECTION (deliver me from evil).
This prayer recognizes our weakness and vulnerability! There is no room from pride when it comes to seeking God’s face. We are weak, vulnerable, needy children and we have a Father who DELIGHTS in providing for our needs!
Not only does the Model Prayer show us the RELATIONSHIP with the One we are speaking to and communing with, but it also Recognizes His LORDSHIP!
A Recognition of Lordship
A Recognition of Lordship
His Name (v. 9b)
His Name (v. 9b)
Even in His name we see a sense of holiness, reverence, awe and sovereignty. Jesus taught us to “hallow” our Father’s name.
R. T. France notes:
“Hallow means ‘make holy’ or better ‘treat as holy, reverence’…This clause may thus express both a desire to see God truly honoured as God in the world today, and a [future] longing for the day when all men acknowledge God as the Lord.”
Stuart Weber adds...
Matthew A. Seek Your Reward from God, Not from People (6:1–18)
Hallowed has to do with something or someone being different or set apart. We must come before God with an attitude of reverence for God’s perfection (in contrast to our imperfection), his wisdom (in contrast to our foolishness), his power (in contrast to our impotence), and his love (in contrast to our selfishness). God’s holiness is everything that sets him apart from us and all the rest of his creation. Addressing such a being should never be done casually or flippantly.
There is no other name like His name. We are called by His name! We are His children! We have called on His name and have received mercy, grace, forgiveness, peace with God, His righteousness…how dare we treat His name and all that He represents flippantly. He is God. He is holy. We should honor and reverence His name not only with our lips, but also with the way we live!
We are also reminded of His Lordship when we hear Jesus talk about...
His Kingdom (v. 10a)
His Kingdom (v. 10a)
Far too often I have prayed about “my kingdom.” However, prayer is not about building our kingdoms, but rather are about building His kingdom! We are asking for His kingdom to come!
Prayer that pleases the Father is prayer that doesn’t focus on ourselves, but rather upon Him!
What do we mean when we talk about God’s kingdom? One commentary says:
The kingdom of God is that moral and spiritual kingdom which the God of grace is setting up in this fallen world, whose subjects consist of as many as have been brought into hearty subjection to His gracious scepter, and of which His Son Jesus is the glorious Head.
We are privileged to be a part of His kingdom! We are under His Lordship…He is King, we are not! He is the head, we are the body. Therefore, as Stuart Weber said:
“Therefore, it is a prayer that we, his servants, would be faithfully obedient and effective in living His kingdom principles in our own lives and then spreading the kingdom through our actions and words.”
We are praying to OUR FATHER, we are SEEKING TO HONOR AND REVERENCE HIS NAME BY WHAT WE SAY AND HOW WE LIVE, WE ARE SEEKING HIS KINGDOM, not our own, and finally we are SURRENDERING TO...
His Will (v. 10b)
His Will (v. 10b)
Once again prayer is not about imposing our will upon God, but rather asking Him to help us surrender to His will for our lives! We are asking for HIS WILL to be done in our lives and upon the earth in which we live, just as it is accomplished in Heaven!
Remember He is Lord and King, we are not. As His children, who have been redeemed by His grace we need to remember...
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
We no longer belong to this world’s kingdom, we belong to His kingdom! Therefore, we should have a desire to see His kingdom flourish and His will to be done on earth, and in our lives, even as it’s done in Heaven!
The words by Stuart Weber hit me hard as I was studying for this message...
Matthew A. Seek Your Reward from God, Not from People (6:1–18)
Our prayers are to be continual reminders to ourselves to “get with” the kingdom program. Sadly, too many believers live for the weekends and not for Christ’s kingdom.
What are you living for? I think one way this is revealed is through our prayers. I believe, however, as we get into the Word this year, and dig, and study, and be a part of discipleship relationships, our mentality and our attitude will begin to change.
Our prayers will change. Our prayers will not just be a laundry list of things we want God to do for us, but will become a time of worship, a time of praise, a time of surrender, a time of gratitude, a time of thinking about His kingdom and our role in His kingdom.
How is your prayer life?
Maybe right now you need to come and find a place at this altar and ask God to help your prayer life to be everything He intends it to be. Maybe your prayer life is non-existent, but today it begins. Maybe your prayer life has been full of “vain or empty repetitions”, maybe you’ve just been “going through the motions.” Maybe the Holy Spirit has hit you hard with this truth today. What are you going to do with what you’ve heard?
Jesus would later go on to say in this same Sermon on the Mount these words:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If your treasure is in God’s kingdom that’s where your heart is going to be. If your heart is there everything else will be too…including your prayer life. Today we are not challenging you to add an empty ritual to your daily routine, but rather
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.