Jesus on Prayer

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

Today I'm speaking about Jesus' teaching on prayer. And we're going to read from Matthew chapter 6, verse 5 to verse 13, using the New King James Version of the Bible. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask him. In this manner therefore pray, 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 forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Today we're going to ask and answer six questions about Jesus' teaching on prayer. So number one, when. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. So where should we pray? Jesus teaches we should pray in private with God rather than only as a public display for others to see. with others, that that's the only place we pray. But it's important for us to cultivate, to develop, to nurture a private time of prayer with God. Now I personally believe that if a group of believers come together who each have a personal, private prayer life that they are cultivating and developing. When they come together to pray, something powerful is released. So we should pray in private, developing a personal relationship with God rather than only as a public display for others to see. Number three, how. In Matthew chapter 6, verse 5 to verse 8, Jesus contrasts the way that we should pray with two unhelpful examples of how people pray. And these both start with an H. He contrasts us as Christians with those who he calls hypocrites and heathens. Let's talk about hypocrites first of all. He says, Do not pray to be seen by others, but pray in private before God. Now, this word hypocrite is a word that was used in Greek language for an actor. It's someone who would wear a mask, take on a persona that wasn't who he actually was, and would play a part. And here Jesus is teaching us that when we pray, don't be like a hypocrite, but rather be sincere and authentic in your prayer. Let's read Matthew 6, verse 5 and 6. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, so that they can be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. And some versions say they have their reward in full. They get what they are after, which is the accolades of men. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Next, Jesus contrasts how we should pray with the heathen. He says, Don't pray in vain repetitions, but rather pray simple and sincere prayers. Now, a heathen is one who does not follow the true or only God. And there are many people who pray, and their prayer is not to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, it's just a almost like a mantra or something they just keep repeating, or perhaps even use devices like flags or wheels, thinking that those are issuing prayers on their behalf. But I I want us to really recognize here that what Jesus wants from us in our prayer to the Father are simple and sincere prayers, thoughtful prayers, prayers from our heart and considered prayers. Let's read Matthew 6, verse 7 and 8. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask him. Now he already knows our needs, but he wants us to come to him in relationship, in faith, to ask him, so that he can bless us. Remember, it says in James, the Epistle of James, that you do not have because you do not ask. We should ask and expect to receive from our wonderful Father in heaven. Number four, who? Who do we pray to? Well, Jesus teaches us in Matthew chapter six verse nine, in this manner, therefore, pray our Father in heaven. We must pray to the Father in Jesus' name. Now, Jesus here introduces an intimate relationship with God as our Father, and He invites us to pray like He does, our Father. The original word was the word Abba, which is such a wonderful word. It's like saying Papa or Daddy, it's coming to an intimate relationship with God. I heard someone say that it shouldn't just be seen as just saying, Oh dad, but it needs to be one of saying, our beloved Heavenly Father, we come to you. Now we need to recognize that we can only come to the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So that's why I say we should pray to the Father in Jesus' name. Number five, what? Now, what do we pray? And Jesus here gives us what we now call the Lord's Prayer. It was a prayer that the Lord gave to his disciples as a model prayer. The Lord's Prayer can be divided into two sets of three petitions. First, we see the petition for God's glory. And we read this in Matthew chapter 6, verse 9 and 10. He says, Hallow it be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Can you see those three? That we should hallow or praise his name, glorify his name. And our prayer should do that. Our prayer should also be, Your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth. Your kingdom, your will, your glory. That should be involved in our prayer. We can also bring our needs to him. And we read these in Matthew chapter 6, verse 11 to 13. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. And we see this second set of three petitions involves our daily provision, our forgiveness, and us being delivered from evil and temptations. We need to pray this prayer, recognizing that God is concerned for our needs, but we need to pray first and foremost for his glory, for his kingdom to come, and for his will to be done. Finally, number six. Why do we pray? Well in Matthew 6 verse 13, we read, For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Now in the preceding point, I expressed that our prayer needs to be for God's glory. And right here we see that it ends with this wonderful declaration, this wonderful proclamation that we want His kingdom, His power, His glory to be forever. And when we pray, the reason we pray, the why behind the what is we pray that God may be glorified. Wonderful. Now, as we start to wrap up my talk today, I'd like to read Matthew chapter 6, verse 9 to 13 from the Passion Translation and see how this translation puts the Lord's Prayer. And I really find this wonderful. Listen. Pray like this. Our beloved Father dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. Manifest your kingdom realm and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is in heaven. We acknowledge you as our provider of all we need each day. Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Rescue us every time we face tribulation and set us free from evil. For you are the King who rules with power and glory forever. Amen. Let's pray together. And as we do, I want to invite you to ask the Holy Spirit what He is emphasizing to you today through what you've heard in today's talk. What perhaps does he want you to adjust or to change? Listen to his still small voice as we pray. Father God, thank you that we have the wonderful privilege of coming to you, our Abba Father, our Daddy God, our beloved Father, in Jesus' name. Today we come and we say, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We ask for your will to be done in the nations, in our neighborhoods, in our families, and in our lives. Lord, we thank you that you are our provider and we bring our daily needs to you. We ask for your forgiveness, and we ask you to enable us to forgive those who have wronged us with the same generosity that you show to us. Father, we thank you that you would deliver us from evil and help us to stand strong through temptation. For yours is the glory and the power and the kingdom. May you receive all the glory through our lives. Speak to us, Holy Spirit, and show us what you want us to do as a result of what Jesus taught and what we've heard today. In Jesus' precious name we ask. Amen.