SERMON OUTLINE:
(A). Three Negative Truths:
• Negative Truth #1: Don't be hypocritical (vs 5).
• Negative Truth #2: Don't be limit your praying to public places (vs 6).
• Negative Truth #3: Don't use meaningless repetition (vs 7).
(B). Three Positive Truths:
• Positive Truth #1: We are told where to pray (vs 6).
• Positive Truth #2: We are told to whom to pray (vs 6).
• Positive Truth #3: We are told how to pray (vs 7-8).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• As a family we have often gone on holiday to Turkey,
• Our favourite place is a town called Kalkan.
• If you head into the town centre, and go right to the sea front,
• You will come across a Jewellers shop,
• In the window of that shop is a great big sign that says, ‘We sell genuine Fakes’.
• Their watches may look like a Rolex or a Versace on the outside.
• But if you removed the cover on the back.
• You would find cheap parts and probably the words made in China.
• TRANSITION: Jesus is warning his disciples not to be fakes like the Pharisees,
• But rather to be the real deal, genuine in their acts of worship.
Ill:
• The word "hypocrite" means "two-faced"
• We get the word from the Greek theatre where the ancient actors,
• Would use different face masks to play different characters.
• The actor true face was always hidden,
• Because they wore a variety of different face masks,
• These masks enabled them to portray different characters and pretend to be someone else
• Hypocrisy is when we are two faced,
• When we pretend to be one thing in public and we are something else in private.
• In previous studies of this chapter
• You would have noted that Jesus warned against this,
• In fact, he gave a general principle (vs 1).
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven
Ill:
• Arlo my son plays the trumpet,
• When he was part of Fareham & Gosport Youth Orchestra,
• He would perform with them on a regular basis.
• The biggest events he played were with other orchestras at Fareham Hall (700 capacity),
• Of course, after he performed (occasionally a solo),
• Everyone clapped, but you could see him looking around unimpressed,
• He was looking for his parents, he wanted their approval and no-one else’s!
• TRANSITION: Jesus reminds his listeners,
• That they too are playing for an audience of one!
• Their acts of righteousness should first and foremost be done for God’s approval.
Now having given us a general principle in verse 1:
• Jesus goes on to give three examples of how hypocrisy can reveal itself.
• Verses 2-4: He talks about good works.
• Verses 5-15: He talks about prayer.
• Verses 16-18: He talks about fasting.
So, Jesus gave three examples (good works, prayer & fasting):
• The point of his teaching of Jesus is simple,
• Don’t do the right things the wrong way!
• Instead of looking for God and his approval on their religious activities,
• They were more concerned with the approval of other people.
NOW OUR FOCUS THIS SESSION IS ON PRAYER:
Ill:
• My favourite prayer story.
• Is the lady who looked in a mirror and saw her wrinkled aged skin,
• She sighed and said in her prayer, “O Lord please give me the skin of a teenager”
• The next morning, she woke up covered in acne!
• (so be careful what you pray for).
• TRANSITION: Jesus teaches six truths about prayer,
• Three are negative and to be avoided,
• And three are positive and to be copied.
(a). Three negative Truths:
Negative Truth #1: Don't be hypocritical (vs 5).
“‘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.”
At the time of Jesus day, religious Jews were not embarrassed to pray in public:
• The Pharisees prayed for 3 hours every day
• They prayed at 9 am, midday, and 3 pm.
• They prayed standing, with hands stretched out,
• Their palms upwards, and with heads bowed.
• And no matter where they were, they stopped to pray at these times.
• It still happens today, I have been in Israel and seen both Jews and Muslims,
• Praying in cafes, on street corners or along the side of the road at prayer times.
• These Pharisees wanted to demonstrate their devotion,
• So, they made sure that they were at a busy street corner or public place at those times.
• And anyone who saw them would think,
• “Wow! What a spiritual person, I wish I could be like them!”
Note:
• Jesus is not prohibiting all public praying,
• He Himself offered public prayers.
• e.g. He did it before he fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish.
• (John chapter 6 verse 11).
• e.g. And He did it before He raised Lazarus from the dead.
• (John chapter 11 verses 41-42).
• The point is this don’t do it for human praise,
• Let’s make sure our motives for public prayer are pure!
Negative Truth #2: Don't be limit your praying to public places (vs 6).
“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”
• When we pray in public there is a tendency to focus on the people around us.
• They will notice us, and we will notice them.
• But when we pray in private, we are all alone,
• Therefore, we are able to focus on God alone.
Now, the “room” Jesus describes here is quite specific in the original language.
• It is a room on the inside of a house,
• Normally one without windows.
• It’s a private, so it’s more like a storeroom or a pantry.
• It’s a place you normally don’t show visitors to your house,
• Because there is nothing to see and it is hidden away.
• And that is of course the point Jesus is making.
• The only one there apart from yourself is God!
• And he is the one you are talking too.
Negative Truth #3: Don't use meaningless repetition (vs 7).
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Ill:
• I once heard a man pray a very strange prayer,
• He said,
• "Father, I approach thee in prayer today.
• Jugular, brachial, superior vena cava, renal..."
• I had to stop him right there and remind him of Matthew chapter 6 verse 7.
• "HEY! No vein repetitions."
• TRANSITION: Jewish had a custom of praying three times a day,
• If you know Jewish history (the Bible of course is full of it),
• The people were conquered and taken in captivity by the Babylonians.
• After they came back from the Captivity in Babylon,
• They started the tradition of praying what they call “The 18 Benedictions” 3 times a day.
• These “18 Benedictions” are 18 different paragraph prayers,
• Which they were to read or recited, facing Jerusalem.
• The first one is a paragraph of praise. Quote:
“O L-rd, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Blessed art thou, O lord our G-d and G-d of our fathers, G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d of Jacob, the great mighty and revered G-d, the most high G-d, who bestows lovingkindness, and the Master of all things; who remembers the pious deeds of the patriarchs, and in love will bring a redeemer to their children’s children for your Name’s sake.”
• Now, that is a fine prayer; and you will not find anything wrong with it.
• But the problem is, they would pray that paragraph,
• As well the rest of the 18 other paragraphs, 3 times a day in prayer.
• When you start praying this SAME prayer, 3 times a day, every day,
• Sooner or later you are going to tire of it,
• And it is going to become what Jesus calls here a “meaningless repetition.”
• Anything that you just say over and over,
• Will eventually become a mindless, mechanical repetition,
• And that is not what God wants from us.
Ironically despite the fact Jesus said, “Don’t keep repeating things like the pagans do”
• Some people repeat word for word, almost parrot fashion,
• The prayer you will look at in your next study,
• What is commonly called, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’.
• Although in their defence, Jesus said ‘vain repetition’ not ‘repetition’!
• So, if it is meaningful, I am not out to knock it!
• But that prayer like any prayer is not a magic formula,
• It must always be said from the heart,
• Otherwise it is repeated in vain.
(b). Three positive Truths:
Positive Truth #1: We are told where to pray (vs 6)
“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”
• Find a private place (vs 6).
• "Go into your room, close the door".
• Obviously, he is talking about private devotions here,
• And not collective public praying:
• Find a place you can go to,
• That is free from distractions & interruptions.
Ill:
• We have all been on a busy street and our mobiles have gone off,
• But because of the noise of the traffic and the crowd it is not always easy to hear.
• Recently that happened and I saw a red phone box,
• So, I went inside, closed the door and I could then hear everything clearly!
• Point being: Find a place you can go to,
• That is free from distractions & interruptions.
Positive Truth #2: We are told to whom to pray (vs 6):
“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”
• Verse 6:
• "Pray to your Father in heaven".
9“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Ill:
• Story of the Prodigal Son.
• God is like a loving Father!
• That followers of Jesus have direct access to the Father through the Son!
• Through our one mediator Jesus Christ!
I love those two terms, ‘Father’ and ‘heaven’.
• The name Father reminds us God cares.
• The place heaven reminds us of God’s power.
Positive Truth #3: We are told how to pray (vs 7-8).
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Ill:
• The story is told (probably apocryphal),
• That when NASA started sending astronauts to space,
• They quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity.
• To combat the problem,
• NASA spent millions of dollars to develop a pen that works in zero gravity,
• In contrast,
• The Russians used a pencil.
• TRANSITION: May be an apocryphal story, but the point is, keep it simple!
• Because God does not pay closer attention to our prayers:
• Because of the number of words, we use.
• He is not impressed with our spiritual sounding clichés.
• We do not need to use a special vocabulary or put on a special voice.
• We just need to be reverent and humble.
• Simple & sincere,
• My understanding is short prayers in public & longer prayers in private!
In Conclusion:
• Jesus teaches that when it comes to good works, prayer & fasting,
• Take off your religious mask and be real, be honest.
• You and I can have access to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
• John chapter 14 verse 6.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• Way – follow him!
• Truth – believe him!
• Life – experience him!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=YwCUCR41iUJsTDQkiYSVKXmw1UWMZuxh
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/h0pZbx2NmIk
