Loving God Loving Others Through Prayer.
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Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This section of Matthew beginning at chapter 6:1 addresses what we might refer to as the actions of the righteous or pious.
Kris spoke about alms or giving last week. We are going to talk about prayer this week and it will be followed by fasting.
These three things and what the whole sermon is talking about, obedience to the Father, are the things that a good Jew would practice as often as they could.
But here Jesus makes sure that we understand that each of these things are to be done for the right motives. YOUR HEART MUST BE IN IT. If not you get your just rewards here. So, before we get into the prayer, let’s look at what Jesus says about right motives.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
Jesus makes it clear that right motives, bring about right rewards.
So, I will posit that as we enter this discussion about prayer, Matthew brings Matthew 22 and the greatest commands into focus. Here is what I mean.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
So, Pray not to impress, but to talk with the Father.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
It is in this moment that you open your heart to God. You allow yourself to be completely honest with Him.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
But, understand God does not want big words, He wants honest ones.
Then Jesus gives us this model for prayer, broken into two distinct parts, one focused on God, the other on people.
“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
This is about God.
Give us today 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 the evil one.’
Our temptation when reciting this prayer is often to think inwardly. We think of our needs, our daily bread, and all of the things for which we need to be forgiven. But notice the language Jesus actually uses: “give us” The US IS the plural form of the word.
This is about others. I know you thought it was just about you, but it is really about people, the ones in your circle, the ones you are sharing life with.
Just in case you are quick to forget this fact, Jesus finish the section out with this fact.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
God does not want you to live in the pain of sin and we can dwell in it. We can let hurts consume us. God want us to live different.
Rev. Jeremiah Booker once wrote:
“Action is not separated from prayer. The question is not whether our prayers matter. The question is if we pray without action, are we really even praying at all?”