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Sermon Series
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SERMON ON THE MOUNT: PRAYER
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Prayer is the means that God has given His children to communicate with Him.
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Scripture References (At least 1 scripture reference must be added)?*
Matthew 6:7-13
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Sermon on the Mount
Spread the Gospel
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SERMON ON THE MOUNT: PRAYER
Matthew 6:7-13
Prayer is the means that God has given His children to communicate with Him.
Without any media of electronic, prayer is better than any other means of communication
that we have on earth. Prayer does not need cables, router, electricity and it's also free. A
good friend of mine complained that his phone card always run out before it should.
Quite the contrary, our time with God has no limit. Prayer takes us to God's presence
without having to move. We can stay where we are, facing anywhere we want.
About a month ago in Cupertino, San Jose lost electricity for one whole day. I
saw how all restaurants and stores closed suddenly, because they rely upon electricity.
Traffic jam was everywhere, because all the traffic lights are out. Prayer needs no
electricity, we can talk directly to God.
There are two models of prayer, the Bible clearly shows us the difference between
true prayer and false prayer. The wrong ways to pray include the following:
- Meaningless repetitions
- Mechanistic prayer, memorized like a chant.
- Prayer that blames others and justifies oneself correct.
- Prayer with arrogance, unconscious of one's sins.
Repetitions and blaming others are typical characteristics of the Pharisees?
prayers, while mechanistic prayers are typical of the Gentiles. Repetitions in prayer leads
them to hypocrisy. The question then arise, “What is hypocrisy?” In this context,
hypocrisy means “Changing the focus of praise from God to oneself”.
How do you think one should pray? When Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer,
Jesus indirectly implied two types of prayer.
First Model: Gentiles' prayer – is very repetitive. “But when ye pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking.” (Matthew 6:7; KJV). Vain repetition means meaningless words. This is
different than the repetition that Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. Matthew 24, 26, 44 depict
His persistence and concentration in praying.
Second Model: Christian prayer – is mechanistic. Mechanical prayers are not
good either, because it could become like a chant that is memorized. The Lord's Prayer is
a typical example of such memorized prayers; without putting our mind to it, this prayer
becomes meaningless.
Then in chapter 6 of Matthew, Jesus explained that the most important thing in a
believer's life is how to think of God. To Jesus, theology (our way of thinking of God)
will determine our actions (our way of living). Jesus specifically taught us how to see
God as Father, and how important it is to understand the close relationship between the
Father and His children.
In prayer we need struggle, but not a struggle to defeat God; it is a struggle
to defeat oneself, to kneel before God. The Lord's Prayer that was taught by Jesus
embodies 5 concepts:
1. Concept of Worshiping the Father
2. Concept of the Father's work
3. Concept of physical blessings from the Father
4. Concept of the Father's grace.
5. Concept of providence from the Father.
I. Concept of worshipping the Father
Jesus was giving us access to a close relationship with the King, our God, as our
Father. To Him we address our prayers. Notice that Jesus said “Our Father in Heaven”;
this teaches us a relationship in Christian life. We pray “Our Father”, not “My Father” or
“Your Father”. This concept reminds us that we are sharing a spiritual privilege with all
other children of God. This alone becomes the confirmation and special privilege that we
receive.
Notice the harmonious balance in this sentence “Our Father in Heaven”. There are
three elements: Our: our relationship, Father: our closeness, in Heaven: worship. The
purpose of Jesus in teaching us to pray the Lord's Prayer is not for etiquette, but to tell us
the truth so that we come to Him with the right mind and heart.
II. Concept of the Father’s work.
The secret of the Kingdom of God is His government under the Father. We have
seen real proof of the presence of God's Kingdom through Jesus Christ. But in some
sense, that kingdom has not been completely revealed in its full glory. The peak is still in
the process. We currently live in that time of revelation and consummation of that
kingdom. Therefore we pray so that His Kingdom may come and His glory be praised.
Our Lord rules over this world and He is the Anointed One. He governs as King forever.
(Revelation 11:15).
Jesus said “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.” Let
us analyze this section:
a. Surrendering oneself unto the will of almighty God
Jesus not only taught His disciples how to pray: “Thy will be done”. He Himself had
prayed the same prayer in Gethsemane to prepare for the Kingdom of God. (Matthew
26:39). For Jesus, to prioritize the Kingdom of God and to pray for His coming, mean to
take up the cross and die for our sins. That way, He had sacrificed His life in obedience to
God. To pray for God's Kingdom implies commitment to the walk of the cross, inviting
the Father to fully control our will and life.
b. To spread the gospel
The Kingdom of God is indeed present in man's heart, but His children are also called
to spread the gospel even to areas not in their vicinity. Why do we say that the Lord's
Prayer is about evangelization. The words “Our Father” alone means to invite all people
to know that there is a Father, a God who is addressed as “Our Father”, not our individual
fathers at home. The concept of Father is for the universal family, both believers and
those who will believe in Him.
John 17:20: “"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message” (NIV). So Jesus alone was an evangelist who was
sent by the Father to earth. He prays for other evangelists and for those who will believe
through them.
We often pray for evangelization and for our pastors. If a church wants to follow
Jesus' way, then we must pray for other evangelists as well.
c. Seeking God's will from the Bible
“Thy will be done” means that in our entire life, we realize that God has worked
with a certain purpose. Sometimes we think that things happen coincidentally, but
actually we are placed specifically under God's control. Thy will be done does not mean
we could do whatever we want and leave things to God. We still have to try and put the
efforts as well in trying to follow God's will until we finally know for sure what He
wants for us.
d. Praying for Christ's second coming
The coming of the Kingdom of God and His coming as King are two identical events.
When we pray “Thy Kingdom come”, that means we are asking our Father to do
something that we believe will happen – that is to bring humanity to its destination, to
then restore it into a new world full of His glory.
Such hope can be understood only by those who already believe in Christ. When
we pray for the fulfillment of His will, that implies our utter surrender to the Lord Jesus
Christ here and now.
III. Concept of Blessings of the Father
“Give us this day our daily bread.” This prayer is appropriate because God has
created us to glorify Him in the end. Man cannot glorify God if he refuses to be obedient
to God. So actually if we fear the Lord, it is not a disadvantage. That is a big advantage,
because we will be blessed by Him. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV): “So whether you eat or
drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Maybe we are content with what we have that we never pray for our daily needs.
How can we pray that way when we know that we have lots of leftovers from last night
that will be thrown away soon. But if we see it as food from God, then there is a
difference because that will include all God's blessings that are given to us.
IV. Concept of the Father’s grace
“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.” This
means once we truly mean this prayer, then we should not have anything against anybody
anymore. Those who ask for forgiveness from others, but never forgive others, have not
understood that they have made a big mistake.
“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.” So
important is that statement that He means “Because if you can forgive others, your Father
in heaven will forgive you too. But if you forgive others, then your Father will not
forgive you. “
If you say the word “Forgive …” with even the slightest hesitation, then you have
not really forgiven them, so your prayer will be in vain.
1 John 4:11 (KJV): “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one
another.”
V. Concept of providence from the Father
The last request in the Lord's Prayer tells us that we, the children of God, realize our
weakness. The children of God are not free from problems, so they ask for protection to
God from evil.
Nothing is for sure in this world, anything can happen anytime. Tsunami and
earthquake in Yogyalarta prove that man is not in control in this world. That is why we
need full protection because anything can happen from anywhere. Protection of this
world is temporary and not absolute, but the providence of the Father is assuring. I am
sure that you agree with me.
Self-Reflection:
1. What is prayer? Can our prayer change God's will? If so, what is the evidence? If
not, then isn't it useless to pray all this time? Please explain! What should we do
if our prayer is not answered?
2. Have you ever felt the impact of prayer in real life? If you haven't, what's been
hindering you to feel it? How do you think we can improve our quality of prayer?
Often times we are busy every day, too busy to pray, should we persist? Are there
any other ways to free ourselves from this business?
By. Ps Saumiman Saud, www.cebc.net San Francisco, Mission Trip to Indonesia, May 08 to May 19. 2025, Suppport US via Zelle 4158139772
