Straight From Your Heart
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Over the past weeks, Pastor Neil has been taking us on a ride through the Sermon on the Mount. Explaining what the Jesus was saying and how we, as Kingdom Citizens, are supposed to act.
Today I have the honor to continue that series and try to understand what Jesus means about how we are to talk to our Father, who by the way has great cell coverage. I have never found a dead spot that I couldn’t get ahold of Him no matter where I might be.
With that all said, let’s start giving God a call...
Let’s jump right in by reading the entire passage and then we will break it down piece by piece.
mat 6:5-15
“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. 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.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
So drill deeper into this part of Jesus’ Sermon.
He starts by talking about people His followers would be familiar seeing and hearing.
Mat 6:5
“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.
Is Jesus upset with those that are praying? Maybe they are taking way too much of His time by praying sooooo Long.
Actually, Jesus is talking about the men who “pray” these long repetitious prayers and I mean long and did I mention they repeated things a lot? The prayers are long because they seem to repeat themselves over and over and it makes their prayers really really long because of all the repetitions...But I am not sure we as modern day, instant gratification demanding, Kingdom Citizens truly understand what is meant by the words, “long prayers, vain repetitions, and much speaking,”
To us a prayer is long if it goes on for ten, fifteen, or especially twenty minutes; and if a prayer lasted a half an-hour, we would simply be tuned out and back on our phones Tweeting what a blowhard the pastor is.
But in Jesus’ time certain people, to whom he refers to as hypocrites, thought that if they prayed enough times; kept on saying the same things over and over again, they would purchase heaven as a matter of right, like when you buy something at the store with money. The article is be yours, not because the store gave it to you, you paid for it and you are now entitled to take it home.
That’s what the hypocrites and others believed, that if they read a certain document or said a certain ceremonial prayer over and over again and again, and made it a regular mechanical repetition, by some certain entitlement they would be able to claim heaven as you would claim a that stuff you bought at the store.
Jesus is saying “Back the truck up. That kind of praying is a vital mistake on their part; You don’t buy heaven or God’s favor with that kind of praying no matter how long I have to listen to it. I got all day!”
You see, in God’s eyes, no prayer is long that is prayed with the heart: as long as it is coming from your heart the prayer seems very brief—let that be the measure and standard of how long our prayers are. Do not measure your prayers by minutes, but by the heart’s desire to talk with God.
What about their reward for these long prayers? What do they get out of the deal? Well mostly a sore throat and some attaboys from their fellow hypocrites. Their reward is only from men.
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.
OK, now this is awesome. This whole business of praying with other people especially in a large group is nerve racking. You site and wait your turn and then you have to come up with something someone else hasn’t said. Oh and I am sure you can relate to this, What if you pray it wrong or stutter or pronounce something wrong in front of people. That is so stressful!!!! and now I learn that we aren’t even supposed to do it? I am so going to tell on you people from Wednesday night prayer meeting. You all better get with God and beg His mercy for not praying in private.
Well, maybe that’s not really what is being said here. We already learned in verse 5 that we aren’t supposed to pray as a show, but praying as a community as a family as brothers and sisters in Christ, is not where Jesus is going.
Jesus says that we should pray in private. In a passage from 2 Kings 4 specifically 18-37, Elisha had been asked to come to the Shunammite Woman’s home because her son had died. When he got there in verse 33 we learn...
So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord.
Elisha went into the room where the boy had been laid, which by the way, was Elisha’s own room, and closed the door and prayed.
Why does Elisha close the door? You might think he would have wanted to show the power of God to those that were present.
There-in lies the the crux of the matter. Jesus has been telling us that looking righteous before others is not how we should act as Kingdom Citizens .
Last week Neil taught us that Kingdom Citizens are not to do good deeds for others’ praise, but only because it is in our heart to help others. This week we learn we are not to pray to show off, but only as an act of worship to God.
So why in secret? The Greek word used here for room “ταμεῖον - Tameion” and is actually defined as a private room or inner room. But why does Jesus ask us to go there?
There are 4 possible reasons that Jesus tells us to pray in private.
The first is Intentionality.
People tend to go places with specific purposes in mind. When we go to work, we’re there to work. When someone goes to the gym, they are supposedly going to exercise, although I can’t confirm that.
When we go to our secret place with God, we should be there to spend time with him, and for no other reason. Going to a specific place for a specific purpose produces the type of intentionality that is sorely lacking in the lives of many Christians.
Second is Privacy.
The reason privacy is necessary for personal prayer is clear: Privacy fosters honesty, and honesty fosters relationship.
How can we pray freely and openly with God when there are others nearby, who may disturb us and listen to us pray at any moment? Having a secret meeting place with God prevents any hindrances to the unbroken communion that is essential for meaningful prayer.
The third reason may just be Intimacy.
Intimacy comes right on the heels of privacy. Without the safety of privacy, having any depth of relationship with another person is impossible. Even when an intimate friendship or relationship is developed in a group setting, it’s because of a certain privacy that surrounds the group, allowing people to bond without the encumbering presence of outsiders. There is no intimacy without privacy.
Also, the sharing of a special, secret place is an intimate act in itself. If there is a place where you meet with one person, and with nobody else, that place becomes a hallowed sanctuary for the relationship. It becomes more than a place. Even the thought of sharing that place with another person for similar purposes can even seem blasphemous. Simply going to that special, secret place creates an expectation in itself. In the same way, having a special, secret place to meet with the Father creates an expectation, before we even arrive, that God is already there, eager to meet with us.
The fourth reason Jesus asks us to go to our secret room is Integrity.
In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is talking about outward righteousness and inner righteousness. He speaks of how the Pharisees pray out loud, in public, so that people will see their piety and be impressed. Jesus says at the end of verse 5 Matt 6:5
Matthew 6:5 (ESV)
...Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
that “they already have their reward” meaning that praise from men is all they will receive for this action. God will not reward them.
Their reward is Praise From Men
Jesus, in contrast teaches his followers to “go into their closet” to pray, so that they will receive no praise from people. If no praise is received from people, then our reward is from the Father instead – a much better reward. Praying in a secret, special place removes the “trying to impress” element from prayer and leaves us naked and open before the Father in a setting where we no longer have any motivation to pray for the wrong reasons.
So how does a Kingdom Citizen pray? This simple question has many brothers and sisters running for the hills when BJ’s famous Wednesday night meeting comes along. Jesus continues..
Matt 6:7
“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.
Listen, this is where God is telling us not to make it a big production. Don’t get all crazy and formal with God, just talk to him and forget the words that don’t need to be said.
I am not saying that we should treat God like others, We shouldn’t. He is God Almighty and deserves our best, but he is also our Abba. Our Daddy. He wants to hear from us as we really are. Tell Him that the situation is bad! Tell him your scared, hungry, cold or nervous. He already knows how you feel. He also already knows the way you really talk so you aren’t going to impress Him with flowery vocabulary. Be yourself.
Some versions will say not to “Use vain repetitions.”
How many times have we prayed, and I am as guilty as anyone, probably more, but it sounds like this...
God, thank you, God for this day Father, for the food, Father, for your Son, Father. God we ask you, Father for some rain, Father, that our flowers, Father, can grow, Father, bigger, Father...
Who among us talks to anyone else like that? I personally have never had my name said every other word. William, thank you, William, for bringing me a glass, William, of water, William...
No! You would say, Thank you for the glass of water, William, if you’d use my name at all. So why do we feel the need to address God so much when we are talking to Him?
And then we get to verse 8 and I gotta wonder what is going on?
Mat 6:8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
If God already knows what I need, am I just bugging Him with my whiny little prayer?
God does not get annoyed by us talking to Him. He wants to hear from us. He asks us to come and talk to him. Think of it hearing from your children, it is so nice to hear their voices and about what they are up to, even if you already saw it on Facebook. And God, loves to hear that we love Him just as much as we want, no NEED to hear how much our family loves us.
So how does a Kingdom Citizen pray. How do we cut all the junk out and just get down to the nitty gritty and still honor God for who and what He is?
Jesus tells gives us a recipe for a successful prayer as He starts in Matt 6:9-10 with
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.
The first ingredient is praise. Kingdom Citizens address God and let Him know how much you love Him. We should give Him huge props for all He does all the time.
Does God need to be told how awesome He is? No, He had to tell us in a huge book, but telling him shows Him that we have been listening and that we agree that He is massively awesome.
Then we ask,
Mat 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread,
The next ingredient in our prayer recipe given from Jesus is to simply ask for what you need. Let God know what you want. Not the material wants like a brand new car, or that beautiful dress, but what you need to accomplish His will.
Yes He already knows what you need, better than we do, but it gives us time to talk about those needs with Him and get a clearer idea of what He wants from us.
Mat 6:12-13
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Next into the mixing bowl is a big helping of repentance. The word debt is ὀφείλημα - opheilema is something someone is due. In this case Jesus is referring to sin. Our debt to God is sin and we need to ask for forgiveness, but more importantly, we need to repent.
There is a big difference between the two. We can be sorry for doing something we shouldn’t but if we don’t stop doing it, we have no repentance. This is a huge mistake, Jesus told us in Luke 13:3-5
Luke 13:3–5 (ESV)
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Repent is to turn away from evil, or sin, and toward God. This is why we are told over and over again to keep our eyes on Him. It is very hard to sin when we talk with God about our actions first so why not talk to Him about everything.
Paul tells the church at Thessalonica,
1Thes 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Which, like I said, if we are in constant prayer, God will guide us away from evil even though we may be tempted.
One of my favorite verses regarding being tempted and God helping us is 1 Cor 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
I just love that when we are faithful to God, He always provides the help we need.
Finally Jesus ends by admonishing the crowd about forgiveness,
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
It is so easy to get into prayer and start focusing on God’s forgiveness and your needs. And you know, there are times when you need to focus on your behavior. I mean I own 15 pairs of jeans just so I don’t wear out the knees in them too fast.
But as a Kingdom Citizen, we are to pray for others as well. We are to forgive those who have wronged us. In the Old Testament, the Jews had The Year of Jubilee every 7 years. This is a time when you are to forgive all the debts owed to you.
Jesus changed in the New Testament and said we are to forgive 7 times 70 or in simple terms always forgive. Let God handle the ugly messes. He can do it much better than we can, and we can get back to loving one another. All we have to do is ask His help.
So as we look back at Jesus recipe for prayer, we Simply have to pray...
First we Praise
Then we Repent
Then we Ask for forgiveness and our needs
and Finally we Yield to His will by forgiving others.
As our blessed Pastor likes to say...
The Bottom Line
Pray! Whether in public or private, Pray from your heart not from the books.
