When you Pray When you Pray Introduction I am beginning a new series where will cover the Lord s prayer as found in Matthew chapter 6. Turn with me to Matthew 6 starting in verse 5. Prayer scares people. (Story of being a new pastor and divvying up prayer requests and then asking people to pray out loud One girl called out in terror, We are praying now, out loud? Transition: Prayer is a mysterious thing. The raging debate about why pray if God knows everything? He is sovereign so what s the point? This is an off base. But so, is the other extreme or other question: Does prayer change God s will? As if God does not know the future and is waiting for our prayers to dictate the future. Scary. 1
We are going to unpack the Lord s prayer phrase by phrase in the coming weeks. This prayer in mentioned in 2 places in different circumstances. We are looking at in the context of Jesus very famous sermon on the Mount, and in Luke 11 Jesus teaches it again when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. (Makes me feel better when I reuse a phrase, point or illustration). This morning I want to look at the 3 verses that Jesus teaches before getting to the well know prayer. Matthew 5:5-8 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. 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. 7 And when you pray, do not heap up empty 2
phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (ESV) I. What is prayer? A. We are expected to pray. 1. First, before what get into what it is, please know that we are expected to pray. 2. The Bible knows nothing of a prayer less Christian. 3. The expectation of a Christian is prayer Which factors in to what it is. Also notice the context of prayer and this teaching on prayer is B. Close relationship. 1. The language here is family language. (Our Father) 2. Families communicate. 3
Illustration: Imagine if we treated our spouses the way we pray. Every time we approached our wife or our husband it was with a grocery list of things that you want or need. (Maybe some of you are approaching your spouse that way, that could be the problem) It is about getting to know that person, not a list of things. What is prayer: C. Communion with God. 1. Focus is not so much on prayer, but relationship. Illustration: Some of us approach prayer with a gritted teeth mentality, I gotta pray, I gotta pray, I gotta pray. Main Point: In some ways that misses the point. Prayer is about knowing God, His character, His will, and His ways, and ultimately His Son (Jesus Christ). Prayer is in the context of relationship. As such there are many ways to pray. 4
2. Ways to pray. a. Speaking: We talk to God. b. Thinking: God knows our thoughts this is why we can pray silently. c. Journaling: Writing our prayers, with our eyes open, mind engaged, and pen in hand. (This is how we got the Psalms) d. Singing: When we sing corporately, this can be done as a prayer, mind, voice, and passion through song. e. Praying scripture: Pray through the Psalms (with your eyes open). Transition: Many ways to pray. Now before Jesus gets into The Lord s Prayer, He teaches on a couple things. First, he teaches. II. The Attitude of Prayer Matthew 5:5 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. (ESV) A. Hypocrite: Actor that loves the focus on themselves. 1. Hypocrite focusses on themselves. 2. That is why Jesus addresses the prayer on the street corner, or praying out loud in such a way as to impress others. 3. It s less about the position of praying, but more about a position to be noticed by all. 4. It s possible to be by yourself and your prayers be focused on you. 5. Jesus when he was in the dessert, by himself, was tempted by Satan, and what was at the center of the temptation? Make it about yourself. 6
B. Jesus is addressing the desire of the heart. 1. The Attitude of prayer is not about impressing others. 2. But rather communing with God. Transition: The attitude of prayer leads right into the III. The Audience of Prayer. Matthew 5:6 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. (ESV) BTW: This is not condemning public prayer, or corporate prayer gatherings. The goal is to read this, and understand this as Jesus intended. A. Audience of Prayer is God: Audience of one. 7
1. Prayer is not for show it is for the Audience of one. 2. Faith piece to this is that God is real, and God really does reward. 3. Are you praying, and I believe through prayer, living for an audience of one. Illustration: So often we go for the applause of this earth. And it sounds something like this 1. Nice car. 2. Nice house. 3. Nice job. 4. You made the team. 5. Pastors - "So how many your running in worship these days?" But the applause of heaven says this, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' For whom do you perform? 8
The applause of earth will eventually empty and used up, only the living for the applause of heaven will leave you fulfilled. Prayer is about the audience of One. B. Shut the door. 1. Concentrate on what you are doing. 2. I think there is something to carving out a place and a time. 3. Most Christian circles the phrase, Quiet time is used. 4. A time of being in the word of God (Listening) and praying to God. Transition: Prayer is about communion with our Heavenly Father, through Christ. It s relational, and He is our audience. Finally, Jesus teaches to remind us of IV. The content of prayer. Matthew 5:7-8 9
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. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (ESV) A. Meaningless repetition is not the same as real communion with God. BTW: The Lord s Prayer can be used as a meaningless repetition. I think you can recite the Lord s prayer and it not be meaningless. I think there are many written prayers throughout history that can be reused and recited, including this prayer, the psalms and many prayers in the Bible. Again, this is a heart and mind issue. Engaging in real relationship. Same thing in Christian culture. I hear people pray using words I have never heard before, like a prayer from on high (I get it that we approach God as holy), but man sometimes I have heard people pray and I 10
am not even sure I know them when they get done. B. Devout heart and pure motives (God is not cajoled by adjective upon adjective he already knows he is the sovereign God) C. Within God s sovereignty we are called to pray for: 1. Help in time of trouble. 2. Guidance. 3. Provision. 4. Protection. 5. Mercy and Grace. 6. Forgiveness. 7. Needs that we might have. Conclusion A child saying, I can t do it daddy. I know. How humbling. As adults, I think this gets harder and harder to do. We like to depend on our effort, our bank account, our job, our talent, our education. 11
But eventually, God in His goodness, brings us to the end of ourselves and brings us to a place of dependence. A place where we cry out, I can t do it daddy. And He says, I know. I wanted to show off my power and glory in and through your life, when you came to the end of yourself and trusted me. Pray 12