Awesome Comic Powers
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Today we are continuing Pastor Neil’s series from the Sermon on the Mount. He asked me to teach on Matt 6:5-15 Also known as The Lord’s Prayer.
I spent most of the last week building a sermon around taking that passage apart verse by verse. I was pretty happy with what God had shown me and I was able to transcribe with Him. I even let my wife hear it and she approved.
Then Wednesday night after Shawn and I had prayed, I was thinking about the message I was preparing and felt pulled in a different way.
See, I am a big fan of prayer. I mean I have seen prayer do some mighty awesome things. In the past 8 years, I have seen prayer change lives literally overnight. I have also seen prayer get confusing where the first impression received from God was not at all what He had meant. So I am going to give you more of a testimony about the power of prayer along with the meaning of what Jesus said about it in the Sermon on the Mount.
I titled today’s message Awesome Cosmic Power, Little tiny living space because that is exactly what prayer is.
Prayer is, most decidedly, the most powerful weapon and tool we as Kingdom Citizen’s have in our possession. It can wield so much power that the Bible tells us we can move mountains with it.
People can be healed, wars can be won, help can be found, the hungry can be satisfied and love can be found.
See prayer is our direct link to God Almighty and all His power. And He puts the Energizer Bunny to shame.
Prayer is a direct link to God’s wisdom and knowledge and he is faster than Google.
Prayer is a direct link to our loving Father and his kindness and help.
There is nothing Prayer cannot do. It is a direct reflection of how we feel in our heart.
Now there are those who will say prayer is a placebo and a waste of time, yet those same people, when faced with a life threatening situation yell out to God before anything else.
Communication with our Creator is imbedded in our being from the beginning and those who walk in prayer are typically less panicked when faced with life and death than those who don’t believe in a life of prayer.
Throughout the Bible we see prayer as a constant theme. In fact the word pray or any word that is derived from pray is mentioned 693 times. The ESV, which reserves the word pray for only those times when one is speaking to God, reports 338 times the word pray is used.
Either way you look at it, there is a lot of praying going on in God’s Word. Jesus himself announces that He is going to pray many times. He dies on the cross praying.
If Jesus was alive today, his cellphone minutes to the Father would be off the charts. And you know something, God’s cell service has zero areas of no coverage. The commercials on TV don’t tell you that, do they?
So what does Jesus say about prayer?
The first account in the Bible that we specifically read where Jesus prayed is in Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
This was when Jesus was 30 years old, but we know that He taught in the Synagogs well before that. At the age of 12 He went missing and explained to Mary and Joseph in Luke 2:49 “Did you not know that I would be in My Father’s house?”
And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Throughout the Gospels it is recorded that Jesus went to pray. In fact at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He went off by himself and prayed.
I believe that Jesus prayed about everything. He prayed to the Father. He was in constant prayer about every little thing.
In 1 Thes 5:16-18 is says
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
And that is the way Jesus lived as should we.
There are so many verses that tell us to pray in one way or another. But let’s look at today’s passage...
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“But when you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Therefore you pray in this way:
“Our Father who is in heaven,
may your name be treated as holy.
May your kingdom come,
may your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.
There is a lot to digest in this passage. So let’s get to it.
matt 6:5
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!
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 be cause they seem to repeat themselves over and over and it makes their prayers long....But I don’t think we 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 minutes, or fifteen, or twenty; Now if it were to last half an-hour, we would describe it as very long and tedious; but that was not the measure indicated by the words of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ time certain people, to whom he refers hypocrites, thought that if they only prayed enough times; kept on saying the same things over and over again, they would purchase heaven as a matter of right, as you buy something at the store with money. The article is yours, it is not a gift, it has passed on to you after you paid the cost.
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 “That kind of praying is a vital mistake on their part; they think they shall be heard for their much speaking. Your Father knows what things you need of before you ask him.” Beware of vain repetition: in other words, beware of a mechanical piety.
No prayer is long that is prayed with the heart: as long as it is coming from your heart the prayer is 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.
Those that pray in this way will only receive the accolades of man not of God.
But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
In 2 Kings 4:33 Elisha had been asked to come to the Shunammite Woman’s home because her son had died. Elisha went into the room where the boy had been laid, closed the door and prayed.
Why does Elisha close the door? You might think he would want to show the power of God to those that were present.
There-in lies the the crux of them matter. Jesus has been telling us that doing things to look righteous before others is not how we should act as Kingdom Citizens .
Last week we learned that Kingdom Citizens are not to do good deeds for others’ praise, but because it is in our heart to help others. This week we learn we are not to pray to show off, but as an act of worship to God.
So why in secret room?
There are at least 4 reasons Jesus asks 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.
But at the end of verse 6 Jesus says:
Matt 6:6
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.
When you are in private and your prayer is from your heart, then God’s reward will be yours.
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 disciples 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 Finally we Yield to His will by forgiving others.
So now we know how to pray, but what do we pray about. I think that is a great question, but I can’t answer it with a simple explanation.
I can tell you that anything you need or want to talk about, God, your loving Father is ready to listen.
I started all this by saying prayer is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. Let me finish up by giving you some little examples from my life.
When I was in high school, my parents had bought us a trailride business. The first year we had just a few horses. So one night I asked God if He would allow us to get more horses. The next morning before the birds had even sounded, we got a phone call from the people out where we boarded our horses.
The man told my dad that we had better get out there before our new filly was hurt. Well we didn’t have a mare in foal, so imagine our surprise when we showed up and there was a little filly on the ground only a few hours old.
Lesson, be careful for what you ask for. You might want to be specific, God has a sense of humor.
More recently, several years ago, my life was going well and I was on top of the world. I was the manager of the largest U-Haul Store in 5 states, married with 3 wonderful kids, and looking at my oldest graduating from high school with a huge scholarship for music.
I had been to a managers meeting in Fargo and was driving home when the phone rang and wife asked me if I was on the way. I said that I was and she replied that all the locks had been changed and I was no longer welcome there.
Well, long story short, I was devastated. But at I time when I could have run from God, I ran to him. I fell head over heals with a lady in my new church and began my recovery. One Saturday morning I was laying in bed and praying and told God I want to hear from him and that I was going to shut up. Then a voice in my head said, Don’t worry William. This woman and he used her name is who I have chosen to sanctify you from your divorce.
Well immediately I assumed God was going to let me marry this wonderful godly woman. But that was not the case. We stopped seeing each other and I was even more confused than ever.
It wasn’t until I got in touch with Shawn that I realized that God meant exactly what He had said. That woman was such a great example of a godly woman, I had decided I would not entertain marrying anyone that was not that caliber of woman. When Shawn and I started talking, I had a lot of questions for her. She, obviously, met that standard that this other woman had shown me existed in this world.
There are so many more stories in just my own life that I could share with you, but Neil has had the red light on for quite a while now.
Let me get to the bottom line....
Use your Awesome Cosmic Power and give God a call.
Let’s pray.