“What Makes Satan Tremble?”
Matthew 6:5-15
James 2:19
A recent Gallop Poll stated that 90% of Americans say they pray. Americans pray five minutes a week and the prayers are usually about some crisis in life.
Often the prayer is a memorized prayer. My first prayer was a prayer before meals: “God is Great God is good, now we thank Him for our food.” Another prayer I memorized was: “For all we eat, for all we wear we thank You God.”
I didn’t memorize this one but some pray, before meals: “Rub-a-dub dub, thanks for the grub. Yeah, God! Let’s eat.”
What makes the Devil tremble and shutter is prayer that connects with God the Creator of the Universe. Someone has written:
Satan laughs at our words
Mocks at our toil
But trembles when we pray.
What makes Satan tremble and shutter, Christians on their knees in prayer.
James 2:18-19 comparing faith and good works: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God, Good! Even the demons believe that – and shutter.” Another word for “shutter” is “tremble” with fear and respect.
Ritual prayers from the head and not the heart don’t connect with God. Jesus taught that what we need is a relationship with God not a ritual. Matthew 6:5-6: “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 men. I tell you the truth, they have reward in full. 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.”
Billy Graham told the true meaning of prayer when he said: “Prayer is a simple two-way conversation between you and God. It is not the body’s posture but the heart’s attitude that counts when we pray. Prayer is not our using of God; it is more often puts is in a position where God can use us.”
In Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus answers several questions.
I. What is Prayer?
Prayer is communicating with God the Creator of the Universe. Jesus said, this is how you are to pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
Prayer is a two way communication. God listens when we pray and we listen to God speak through His Word. God is interested in listening to our prayer. The Psalmist prayed out in Psalm 8, “O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Verses 1, 3-5)
God did not create humanity and abandon people to wander and drift through life on their own. God created us and is interested in guiding and directing us from birth to death. Through prayer we stay in touch with our creator.
When you pray Jesus said, “Pray our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Our prayer is not like the prayer of a little boy who prayed: “Dear Harold in heaven.” His mother asked him, why did you pray, “Dear Harold?” Because in the Lord’s Prayer it says, “Our Father in heaven, Harold be your name.”
In prayer we are talking with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whether you pray “Dear God, Dear Father, Dear Lord, Dear Jesus,” you are addressing God.
What a privilege it is to pray. Think of it, God your creator, Awesome God, loves you and want to hear from you.
On August 20th, 1977, Voyager II, the interplanetary probe launched to observe and transmit to earth data about the outer planetary system, set off from earth traveling faster than the speed of a bullet (ninety thousand miles per hour). On August 28th, 1989 it reached planet Neptune, 2,700 million miles from the earth. Voyager II then left the solar system. It will not come within one light year of any star for 958,000 years. In our galaxy there are one hundred million stars like our sun. Our galaxy is one of a hundred million galaxies.
When you pray you not praying to an idol, sun god or moon god or rain god or harvest god? Prayer to idols is a one way communication.
For some prayer is nothing but self-talk. The Pharisee went into the temple and prayed: “I thank God that I am not like that poor publican sinner.” He was praying to himself.
The publican sinner kept at the altar and beat on his chest – a sign of deep sorrow and confessed: “God forgive me a sinner.” Jesus said the prayer of the confessed sinner went straight through to heaven.
True prayer is communication with the creator of the Universe. Prayer is a two-way communication.
II. How are we to Pray?
Jesus taught, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many word.” (Matthew 6:7)
One of the best ways to pray is to use the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…” Begin your prayer time with adoration and praise.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Lord this day I give to you. Help me to be conscious of your Presence through out the day and May Your will be done in my life and family today. May my thoughts, actions and words be pleasing to You today.
“Give us this day our daily bread…” Help me Lord to be a faithful manager of your resources. Help me to be a good steward of all you provide.
“Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven all our debtors.” Lord give me a forgiving heart. Forgive me for anyone I have offended and help me to ask their forgiveness and help me to forgive anyone that has offended me. Jesus added additional commentary on this part of the Lord’s prayer: verses 14-15, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” If you refuse to forgive someone for sins and offenses they committed against you is to break the bridge that allows you access to God for His forgiveness.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” In prayer you are involved in spiritual warfare. You are asking for God’s protection. In prayer you bind Satan’s power. In prayer you have breakthroughs over temptation. Prayer becomes a shied of protection over Satan’s fiery darts and tricks that he throws at you.
Another model for prayer is the acrostic – ACTS
Adoration – Praising God for Who He is
Confession – Of sin – The Psalmist said: “I cried out to him with my mouth: his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God!”
Thanksgiving – Thanking God for His Love, mercy and grace
Supplication – personal requests – family, friends, relative, special needs
Another way to pray is Scripture praying. As you read scripture turn the scripture into your own personal prayer. Adding your own comments to the Lord’s Prayer is scripture praying. Scripture praying personalizing the scripture you are reading.
It’s like making John 3:16 personal, Thank you Jesus for Loving me so much that you came to die for me and because I have put my faith in You, you have given me eternal life.
We close our prayer time by praying in “Jesus Name.” In John 15:16 Jesus said to all who follow Him: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”
We pray in “Jesus Name” because Jesus through his death and resurrection provided access to God the Father. Praying is “Jesus Name” is not a secret formula it is acknowledgement of the fact that you can only come to God through Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross he removed the barrier between God and you.
If I were to write a check in the amount of 10 million dollars it would be worthless. But if Bill Gates or Warren Buffet wrote a ten million dollar check it would be worth that amount. When we go to the bank of heaven we have nothing on deposit there in our own name. But when we pray in Jesus name we have unlimited credit in heaven. Jesus gives us the privilege of using His name.
Keep praying, don’t give up. You may be praying about something that you are still waiting for a clear answer. Keep praying and wait for God’s timing to answer. God always answer, it may be “Immediate Yes,” or “No” or “Wait.” God sees the beginning and the end. He knows what is best.
III. Why Pray?
You might ask, Why pray, when God knows what you need before you pray? Here is a basic truth: “Prayer may not always change things, but it does change us.”
Jesus said we are not to pray for show with long prayer or loud prayers. We are pray in secret and God rewards in secret. Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Some people say, “Why pray when you can worry.” Here is an Anxiety Prayer that is opposite of the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me anxiety and worry,
So that I can fret about things just out of my reach and neglect the things you’ve given me.
I pray I would learn to confuse what’s mine to do and what’s yours.
Allow me to live in the future; ignoring the present and its treasure.
You know I won’t enjoy anything till I have everything I want.
Please remove all my hardships so I can finally have peace.
I pray that everyone will see it my way and everything will go my way.
We’ve been over this before God—you know things won’t work out unless you do it my way; unless you listen to me carefully.
You know I’m miserable and probably always will be.
If anybody will be unhappy in the next life, it’ll probably be me.
I knew it—worry forever, it’s my lot.
Prayer does make a difference when you actually apply the promises of God to your life.
2 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your cares/ anxieties on the Lord for He cares for you.”
Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus taught that the primary purpose of prayer was to advance His Kingdom. The focus of prayer is on others. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on their, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, “Ask/Pray the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:35-38.
The call on every Christian is to be a missionary. Basic Evangelism is telling good news. One form of outreach that we all can do is invite people to an event where they can hear about God’s love in a friendly way. This may be at worship, Bible Study or at an Alpha Course.
During your next time of prayer why not make a list of people to pray for. List all you know that need to hear and embrace the good news about Jesus: 1. Those in your family. 2. Your Friends, 3. Your neighbors, 4. Your Relatives and 5. Work Associates. Pray for ways to tell them good news and invite them to an event where they will hear good news.
A survey was made of 18,000 church attenders by the Church Growth Center in Indiana.
24.5 % said they invited someone to church during the
past month.
43.8% said they invited someone during the pat year
31.7 % said they had not invited someone over a year
A person who has a negative view of outreach will say: “If people want to find God they will come on their own. They will see the church steeple pointing to God and get all excited about finding God and come to church seeking the Lord.”
The problem is found in 2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this world has blinded their eyes lest they see the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.”
A person with a positive view of outreach will believes that his or her invitation can make a difference. George Barna a research specialist said that if you invite someone in your FRAN network one out of four will respond.
Our daily prayer might be: “I want my life to tell for Jesus, I want my life to tell for Jesus, that everywhere I go want my life will tell for Jesus.”
Charles Colson in his book titled “The Body” tells the story of a Priest, Father Jerzy in Pland.
Soon after the birth of Solidarity, Father Jerzy preached among the striking workers in Warsaw’s huge steel works. He showed them how alcohol contributed to their oppression: If their drinking caused absenteeism or mistakes at work, it could be used to blackmail them. After that, alcoholism dropped dramatically.
…Not long after martial law was imposed and Father Jerzy instituted a monthly “Mass for the Homeland,” dedicated to all victims of the repressive regime. Eventually thousands, then tens of thousands, attended these services at St. Stanislaw Kostka, with Father Jerzy ministering form the balcony and the people fanned out in the courtyard and streets below.
Father Jerzy’s influence did not escape the notice of the authorities. He as far too popular, are too independent, far too threatening to the regime’s control. He must be silenced.
The secret police followed Father Jerzy everywhere. He received unsigned death threat letters. On the first anniversary of martial law, a pipe bomb sailed through the front window of his small flat, exploding in his sitting room.
Then, on October 19, 1984, while driving back to Warsaw from Bydgoszcz where he had celebrated a special mass and delivered a message called “Overcome Evil with Good,” Father Jerzy disappeared.
On the last Sunday of October, as fifty thousand people filled St. Stanislaw Kostka in an emotional Mass for the Homeland and listened in tears to a tape of Father Jerzy’s final sermon. The announcement was made on public television that Father Jerzy’s body had been found in the Fistula River.
When the people heard the report about Father Jerzy they went down on their knees, crying out and shouting; what they had feared the most had happened….
Then the crying crowd repeated after the presiding priest three times in unison: “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.” It was a Christian answer to the unchristian deed of the murders.
On November 2nd, the day after Father Jerzy’s funeral people marched the streets past the secret police headquarters bearing banners reading, “We forgive.”
Charles Colson makes the comment: “Regardless of their expertise in murdering the body, the executioners could not kill the soul. Father Jerzy had taught his people well.
It’s one thing to recite the Lord’s Prayer. It’s quite another to live it.
Take your notes and begin to practice a time of daily prayer. Prayer is a two way communication with God. Use variety in your prayer time – use the Lord’s prayer – Use ACTS – Pray Scripture. Keep a prayer list and pray specifically for your FRAN network. Put feet to your prayer and invite those on your prayer list to an event where they can hear good news about Jesus.
