Matthew 6:5-15
December 1, 2002
DT.: Prayer is how you open your heart to God¡¦s will.
TITLE: ¡§The God Who Answers Prayer¡¨
Intro:
Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. John Bunyon
In its early days, Dallas Theological Seminary was in critical need of $10,000 to keep the work going. During a prayer meeting, renowned Bible teacher Harry Ironside, a lecturer at the school, prayed, "Lord, you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of those cattle to help us meet this need." Shortly after the prayer meeting, a check for $10,000 arrived at the school, sent days earlier by a friend who had no idea of the urgent need or of Ironside’s prayer. The man simply said the money came from the sale of some of his cattle!
Dear Pastor, I know God loves me but I wish He would give me an "A" on my report card so I could be sure. Love, Theresa. (Age 8, Milwaukee)
Dear Pastor, Could you say a special blessing for my Aunt Beatrice? She has been looking for a husband for 12 years and still hasn’t found one. Yours sincerely, Debbie. (Age 9, Duluth)
Dear Pastor, Do I have to say grace before every meal? Even when I am only having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?
Wesley. (Age 9, Baltimore)
Dear Pastor, Thank you for your sermon on Sunday. I will write more when my mother explains to me what you said. Yours truly, Justin. (Age 9, Westport)
Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow. Laurie. (Age 10, New York City)
Dear Pastor, We say grace every night before we eat dinner even when we have leftovers from the night before. Yours truly, Jacki. (Age 9, Chicago)
Dear Pastor, I say my prayer before I eat my supper but my mother still makes me finish my spinach and drink my milk. Julie. (Age 9, Buffalo)
Discussion:
Jesus was a man of prayer. He valued the communication between himself and God. His teachings were hard. John Chapter 7 ¡V Jesus was in Galilee, his brothers thought he should go to Judea (no one who wants to be a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things show yourself to the world.) ¡V The response of Jesus is a clear statement about his understanding of God¡¦s will. Vs. 6 ¡V ¡§The right time for me has not yet come; for you anytime is right. 8 ¡V You go to the feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.
Jesus understood the will of the father. It is the desire of Jesus for us to understand God¡¦s will as well.
Jesus is going to give us 3 principles about prayer. Turn with me this morning to (Advance)
Matthew 6:5-15 (READ) (The text is on 2 slides)
(Advance)
I. Pray to God ¡V Not man
a. Communication to God
i. Done in a quiet soft voice
b. Public prayer
i. History of what Jesus was talking about
ii. Understanding of the principles for today ¡V
c. Hypocrites
i. I believe they aren¡¦t in the church Sunday morning
1. Church ¡V Hospital for the sick
ii. I believe they are away from church
1. Because they think they don¡¦t need it
2. Because they don¡¦t understand what the purpose is
3. Because they judge Christians, not for the purpose of building up, but for the purpose of justifying their own sin.
iii. I believe they are possibly religious (same as standing on the street corner praying)
1. For external reasons ¡V nothing deep about it
2. Because they want to feel better about their sinfulness
3. They are short term Christians ¡V waiting for the next big thing.
(ADVANCE)
I was in McDonald¡¦s this week and someone saw that I was wearing my leather Chiefs coat. I guess he assumed that I was a new fan or something. I am use to the chiefs losing. The fact that they lost last Sunday didn¡¦t surprise me. A true fan of something is a fan regardless of the win/loss record. A true Christian is in church regardless of the next best thing across town. (ADVANCE)
iv. They receive their reward ¡V
1. Earthly pleasures
2. Temporary -- They lack the fullness of the Blessings of Christ
3. Filled with grief, sorrow, worry and pain „²(ADVANCE)
4. Filled with a lack of understanding
a. They believe they can get to heaven by being better than you.
b. They believe the show they are placing in front of man ¡V is worthy of God¡¦s attention
c. How can an unrighteous man approach the throne of a fully righteous God?
(ADVANCE)
Prayer is how you open your heart to God¡¦s will.
(ADVANCE)
v. God answers the righteous
1. Only the righteous and stand and say ¡§God! I am hurting hear me when I cry out to you O, lord.¡¨
2. Only the righteous can be broken so that God can mold and shape their future.
3. God works when the righteous pray.
"...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons -- but they are helpless against our prayers." (ADVANCE)
Proverbs 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.(ADVANCE)
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (ADVANCE)
1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (ADVANCE)
4. Only a heart cleansed of the past can be righteous before God.
Jesus is going to make a transition. Starting with verse 9 is what we would consider, ¡§The Lord¡¦s Prayer.¡¨ If the first part of this message is Pray to God ¡V not man, this part here would be Pray humbly to God. There wasn¡¦t any humility in the last section. If you are here to put on a show for men, you aren¡¦t going to be humble. Starting with verse 9 Jesus tells us how to pray ¡V With humility.
(ADVANCE)
II. Pray humbly to God
Hudson Taylor was scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as "our illustrious guest." Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, "Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master."
a. Humbleness in the ¡§Lord¡¦s prayer¡¨
i. Recognize who God is ¡V ¡§Father¡¨ (9)
ii. Recognize what his name is ¡V Hallowed/Holy (9)
iii. Recognize who¡¦s kingdom it is ¡V God¡¦s Kingdom (10)
iv. Recognize who¡¦s will ¡V God¡¦s will (10) (ADVANCE)
Prayer doesn¡¦t move God closer to my will, but moves me closer to the will of God. I believe where the Lord leads he provides. When we pray, remember:
1. The love of God that wants the best for us.
2. The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.
3. The power of God that can accomplish it.
William Barclay, Prodigals and Those Who Love.
v. Recognize where God¡¦s will should be done ¡V on earth (10)
vi. Recognize who provides our daily needs ¡V God does (11)
vii. Recognize who forgives us ¡V God does (12)
viii. Recognize our need to forgive others (12)
b. With a humble heart
i. God can provide you the very best of life
1. Based on His will
2. Based on his endless ability to bless you
3. Based on His love for you
(ADVANCE)
Romans 5:8
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
4. Based on His ability to give you peace in situations beyond your control.
(ADVANCE)
Romans 8:28
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (ADVANCE)
ii. God can work his higher plan
1. Reaching the lost
a. The hurting
b. The sick
c. The lonely
d. The Tired
God can use you and me if we will humble ourselves before him and understand that without him we are nothing, but with him we can become everything he wants us to be. A humble heart before God will also allow you to assist in:
2. Growing his church
a. To bring people in
b. To provide excellent leadership
c. To make yourself open to teach
d. To go beyond yourself ¡V doing things you didn¡¦t believe you had the ability to do.
e. To meet the needs of those around you
Finally, the heart that is humble before God in prayer will grow in forgiveness. You will be able to forgive those who have sinned against you and put yourself into a position to have yourself forgiven. (ADVANCE)
III. Pray about Forgiveness
a. Your forgiveness towards others
i. People who hurt you
1. On purpose ¡V don¡¦t repay evil for evil
2. On accident ¡V don¡¦t make a bad situation worse
ii. Lack of forgiveness for others
1. Controls you
2. Gives Satan a moment to move in
The last thing we need to do as a church and as a group of Christians, whether it be in marriage, in our lives at home, at work or here in the church is to give the devil a place to work. (ADVANCE)
Ephesians 4:26-27
26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.
b. Your forgiveness from others (ADVANCE)
i. Reflection on your relationship with God
1. You have to ask for forgiveness
2. You have to make the situations better
3. You have to place yourself in the position of the person that you hurt.
ii. Keeps you from being a stumbling block
1. Although they can¡¦t blame you for their bitterness, you shouldn¡¦t make yourself the source of anyone¡¦s bitterness.
2. Takes away the excuses ¡V
(ADVANCE)
The old saying, ¡§you can lead a horse to water but you can¡¦t make him drink¡¨ is WRONG. The person, who thought that up, didn¡¦t have a good understanding of horses. Make the horse thirsty and when they get to the water they will drink every time.
a. You shouldn¡¦t be the excuse for someone¡¦s bitterness, towards God, towards the church.
b. Something¡¦s are totally out of your control.
i. But you have to make the best of your situation
ii. You have to work hard to resolve the issues
(ADVANCE)
iii. Forgiveness is a big 3-way triangle
1. God
2. You
3. The other person (ADVANCE)
Why does Jesus include forgiveness when he teaches about prayer? On the outside it doesn¡¦t seem like it would have much to do with my prayer life, but once again we learn that God works on a different scale than we do. Jesus calls us to love and forgive each other this morning, not only in this church but outside as well. I know 3-4 people right at this moment who were involved in church and won¡¦t come back because of the way people treated them. I am not speaking of this church specifically, but if it applies, then it applies. Maybe it¡¦s just their excuse for sin, because if you checked out their lives there is usually sin deep enough had that certain thing not happened, it would be another excuse. Only prayer will renew those relationships, not just prayer but a willing heart to do something about it in the name of our God who is love.
