Prayer 101
Matthew 6:5-15[1]
2-27-05
Intro
“Where do I begin?” Have you ever found yourself asking that question faced with a task so challenging you didn’t even know where to start?
A while back my car broke down on the way home from church. I managed to steer it out of the road. I tried to restart it several times to no avail. So I did what most of you would do. I got out of the car, lifted the hood, and looked at the engine. I don’t know why I did that because I didn’t know any more about the problem after looking under the hood than before. I felt totally frustrated because I had no idea how to solve the problem. I didn’t even know how to begin the task.
Later, my son-in-law, John, looked under that same hood at the same engine. He pointed out the problem, and in short time had it fixed. He even seemed to enjoy the process.
The point I’m making is this. A little knowledge about how to begin something can really help with the motivation. I knew a man who would go into major depression about this time every year because it was time for him to do his taxes. He had a successful business because he was a hard worker and had some technical skills. But he only had about a sixth grade education and doing his tax return was a daunting task for him. I don’t know why he didn’t just hire someone to do it for him but he did his own return each year. He dreaded that task because it required him to do something he knew very little about.
You can probably think of Can you think of an undertaking that affects you that way as well? Compare that to something you know and understand. In the corporate world I faced problems far more complicated than the engine problem I mentioned earlier. But I jumped right in and got the job done because somebody had taught me how to approach that situation. A little instruction can make a huge difference. And even if we have a lot to learn, just knowing where to begin can be a big help.
Jesus does that for us in our text this morning concerning the matter of prayer. I don’t know about you but I still feel like a kindergartner when it comes to prayer. I still feel I have so much to learn. But I don’t draw back from prayer because I at least know where to begin.
In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us the most fundamental and most important aspects of prayer. We all want our prayers to count. We want to pray effectively and these are the essential basics for that to happen. What we talk about this morning and next Sunday will be good preparation for our 50 Days of Consecration which begins in March.
“And when you pray...”—that is the way our text begins in Matthew 6:5. What should I do when I pray? What should I keep in mind? How should I begin and what should my attitude be? Jesus’ first point is:
I. Be Sincere!
Do not be like the hypocrites. They pray out of the wrong motive. They pray to be seen of men. They are missing the most essential dynamic of prayer—it is a conversation with God, no a show. The word Matthew uses for hypocrite was the word used in Classical Greek for actor, showman.[2] Don’t put on a show; just talk with God. Jesus had some very strong words for hypocrites. Here He tells us to not be like them. In Matthew 15 the Pharisees complained to Jesus because His disciples were not following the ceremonial washing of hands before the meal. Jesus responded by saying to them, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” They had developed a religion with lots of external activity but no sincere love for God in the heart. The disciples’ response to all that was humorous. They pointed out to Jesus that He had probably offended the Pharisees with that answer. Da! When you call someone a hypocrite, you probably will offend them. But that was exactly the way they were behaving.
Hypocrisy is something we all face. It’s a danger because we have made a public statement that we are followers of Jesus. Amen? But what is the temptation if we begin to draw back from the Lord in our hearts? The temptation is to keep up appearances. The temptation is to continue to go through the outward form of religion hoping no one will notice the change that’s occurred in our hearts. Am I in secret the same thing that I am in public? My true spiritual condition is reflected in what I do when nobody is looking. When we are in a state of halting between two opinions—on the one hand, wanting to serve the Lord and not experience His chastening—on the other hand, wanting to have our own way and indulge our own desires—when we are double minded in that way it is hard not to be hypocritical. The solution is quite simple. On Mount Carmel Elijah put it this way for the people of Israel, “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him’” (1 Kings 18:21). By the way, the solution I’m talking about is a choice to follow the Lord. I’ve known people who flaunted their sin because they didn’t want to be a hypocrite. Well, that’s like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. God wants us to put away our sin and serve Him with all our hearts.
That doesn’t mean we won’t have struggles. There is a lot of difference between a person trying to do the right thing and have some difficulties and a person who has resolutely chosen to do the wrong thing and justifies it. Failure doesn’t make you a hypocrite. Pretense and insincerity do.
The key to Matthew 6:5 is the Greek word, hopoos. It is indicating purpose.[3] Their purpose, their reason for praying is “to be seen of men”. I knew one person who insisted that this passage meant you should never pray in public. At least, that was his stated reason for not attending prayer meetings. But if that is the right interpretation, then Jesus violated his own commandment. He prayed publicly when He raised Lazarus from the dead. He prayed publicly on the cross. He prayed in front of 5,000 men when he fed the multitudes. It’s not public prayer that Jesus is condemning. It’s praying out of a motive “to be seen of men” that Jesus is condemning.
He teaches the same principle in this chapter when He talks about the giving of alms and later about fasting. Matt 6:2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” The motive behind the giving is “to be honored by men”. I find it a bit humorous how paranoid we get about this when we fast. Much more than when we pray or when we give there can be this great secrecy about fasting. But the three parallel one another. Jesus is dealing with our motive of heart in all three instructions.
Back to prayer—bottom like is this. Be real, be sincere, come to God to come to God, talk to God to talk to God.
And don’t think you’re going to somehow manipulate God by saying just the right words or saying so many words that He finally wears down and gives you what you want. Matt 6:7 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Prayer is about a relationship between you and God. You’re simply coming to Him and talking with Him about what’s going on in your life. It is a complete misunderstanding of prayer to think that prayer is an exercise I do to get a reluctant God to somehow help me. And if I can say enough “Hail Mary’s” or “In Jesus Name” or some other magical formula, then maybe it will work. That’s the mentality the pagans had. Jesus said, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt 6:8). Prayer is not informing God what we need. It is discussing it with Him and the conversation should be two way. We talk to God; but we also listen to what He has to say about the matter. I say to God, “I need a brand new car.” He says to me, “You need humility worse; drive the one I gave you.” See how real that is. We talk with God. He talks with us. It is a genuine and sincere conversation.
Now we come to “The Lord’s Prayer”. We call it the Lord’s Prayer because it came from Him. I have no doubt that He prayed this way Himself.[4] I think He gave it as an outline or model of how we are to pray. I personally have memorized it and sometimes pray it word for word when I don’t know what else to say. But usually I use it as an outline for the main themes of prayer. Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:”
There are five major requests in this prayer. Those five can be broken down into two categories.[5] The first two requests are about God. The last three requests are about us. The pronoun “your” dominates in the first two. The pronouns “us” and “our” dominate in the last three.[6] We will only have time to deal with the first two today. But notice the priority of the requests. What is usually on our mind most when we come to God? We’re usually thinking about what we need God to do for us. If we were designing this prayer, most of us would begin in the middle of it. “Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts...” Take care of me God. It’s a valid part of prayer; but it is not the first priority of prayer.
When I began this sermon, I talked about knowing where to begin. Here is where we begin. We begin with God. Jesus is teaching us to
II. Be Personal!
It all happens in the context of a wonderful relationship—not a mechanical parroting of words—not a ritualistic religious exercise—but a conversation with a person. Begin here: “Our Father”.
That’s very personal. We climb upon our Father’s lap so to speak and we talk with Him.
When my daughter’s were little, they learned very early how to get Daddy to say “yes”. They would climb upon my lap and give me a hug and tell me how much the loved me and how glad they were that I was their Daddy. They did that first before they asked for the candy or the toy or the money or whatever it was they needed. They were probably being a bit more manipulative than I am advocating. But the point is this. It all happened in the context of a loving relationship.
That is the most important part of prayer. Too many prayer conferences tell you how to name it and claim it and say it specifically and rebuke the devil and praise God and do this and do that. But God is not fooled by good technique. The foundation for effectual prayer is relationship with God. John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Have you believed in his name—put your trust in Him and made the decision to follow Him and obey Him? Have you been born not of natural descent but born of God? If so, then your prayer begins with “Our Father”. This prayer is a prayer for believers to pray.
Gal 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”(NKJV). Learn to pause long enough when you pray to appreciate the right to say, “Our Father.” It’s not something you have earned. It is something Jesus has earned for you and you simply received. But it is an awesome privilege to be able to come to the Creator of heaven and earth and say, “Our Father”.
It’s amazing how life begins to come into perspective with those two words. There may not be money to pay the rent. There may be health problems, relationship problems, money problems—but I have the right by the grace of God to begin with those two words, “Our Father.” I may look poor; but those two words mean I’m rich, “Our Father”.
It is that relationship that gives us the boldness to even come to God. It is that relationship that gives us confidence to make our requests known to Him.[7] It is that relationship that provides assurance that the prayer will make a difference. Listen to the assurance that Jesus gives later in the Sermon on the Mount. Matt 7:9-11 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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!”
Our faith rests upon our relationship with God as our heavenly Father. We ask believing we will receive because He is our Father and His heart is filled with love toward us.
III. Be Respectful!
That may initially seem contradictory to what we have just said. But it isn’t. There is a beautiful balance taught in Scripture concerning our relationship with God. On the one hand, we have full acceptance and favor through Christ with the Eternal God. That is a great source of comfort and assurance. On the other hand, we never forget just how awesome our Father God is. He is our Father “in heaven”. He is not limited the way our earthly fathers are. Even earthly fathers are to be respected. How much more our heavenly Father. Eccl 5:2 “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” It is altogether possible for us to enjoy the comfort of knowing the grace of God and our Father’s love toward us and at the same time honoring Him for Who He is.
“Hallowed be your name”. That is our prayer that God would receive the glory and honor due Him. His name represents Who He is. His reputation is to be esteemed. We come into His presence with a holy, reverential awe of His majesty and glory. We consider all the revelation in both nature and Scripture concerning Him and something cries out from deep within, “Lord, there is none like you!” Ps 29:2 commands us to “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” When I breathe those words, “Hallowed be your name” I am considering the greatness of God Almighty. I am not just considering His power but also His character. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. There is something in me that asks, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” This is a time to be still and know that He is God.[8] This is a time to set your heart on His glory. This is where true worship begins.
Do you see how Jesus is teaching us the right attitude in prayer? Before I ever make one petition concerning my needs, I get my heart right toward God. I get my priorities right before Him as well. When I say “Hallowed be your name.” I am saying up front, “I don’t want any prayer answered that doesn’t hallow your name. Your glory is far more important to me than my person comfort. Your honor is much more important than my promotion.”[9] I can not ask amiss[10], if I have rightly prayed, “Hallowed be your name.”
When Jesus was facing the cross, one thing was prominent in His mind—the glory of the Father. In John 12:27 he said, “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” That gives us a glimpse of what it means to pray “Hallowed be your name.” It means I have chosen to pursue the glory of God above all other pursuits. The Father answered those words in the next verse. “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’”
Our attitude toward God and His place in our lives has much more to do with the effectiveness of our prayers than the techniques we may learn. So far we have seen that Jesus is teaching us to be sincere, be personal, be reverent and now we come to another point of instruction.
IV. Be Submissive!
Matt 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How is God’s will done in heaven? It is done in perfect obedience. Every saint and every angel in heaven does nothing but the will of the Father. And it is their utter delight to do so.
The kingdom of God has to do with the rulership of the King. We are again saying up front, before any petition is made for our own needs—“I am committed to Your will, God, even if it runs counter to what I think I want you to do.” It is recognition of God’s wisdom, God’s sovereignty, and God’s right to rule—my life and everything else.
There has been a lot of theological debate as to whether this is eschatological or whether it applies to our daily lives. I am convinced that it is not an either or situation. We long for the day when Jesus will return in His glorified body and put down all opposition on the earth even as it is now in heaven. We pray for the final eschatological rule of God when righteousness is uncontested and every knee bows. But in the mean time we apply that to our current situation as well. We want God’s will in everything now because there is absolutely nothing better than His will.
The key to effectual prayer has to do with the attitudes of heart that we have discussed this morning—attitudes of sincerity and personal intimacy with God—attitudes of respect and submission to the authority of God. Have you surrendered all? Do you pray—no longer trying to get God to do your will? Instead, you desire to do His will. You invite His rulership over your life and over every prayer you pray.
The video clip you are about to see concerns that issue of surrender. The movie is “Bruce Almighty.” Bruce (Jim Carrey) has been ungrateful and critical toward God concerning the way the universe is being run and especially his own life. To teach him some of the lesson we have talked about this morning, God gives him divine power for a 24-hour period. During that time Bruce makes one disastrous decision after another. He pulls the moon closer to the earth so he can have a more romantic evening with his girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston), unaware that his actions cause a tsunami in Japan. He responds to the prayers of the world with a mass-email "yes" that creates millions of lottery winners, riots, and mayhem.[11] In this scene Bruce realizes the pain he has caused in other people’s lives. He acknowledges his own folly and surrenders himself to the will of God.
Play Ch 17 (01:23:00 to 01:26:12) of Bruce Almighty[12]
When we come to that place—when we have surrendered ourselves to God, then we are ready to petition God effectively. Most of us here this morning have at some point have made a decision to turn our lives over to Christ—to submit to His will and serve Him. But it’s easy in time to take back into our own hands certain areas in our lives. Those areas are the ones that become problems for us. At those points where we surrender to God, we have victory. At those points where we have our own agendas, we struggle. It may be in the area of finances; it may have to do with ministry or some relationship or some specific sin or habit. But victory in Jesus is found when we fully surrender that area of our lives to God. God may be dealing with you this morning about a specific area that needs to be submitted to Him. I want to encourage you to do that right now.
If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, now is the time to do that. Will you turn your life and your future over to the Lord this morning? If you would make that choice I invite you to come to these altars for prayer right now.[13]
TEXT
Matt 6:5-15
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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "’Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (from New International Version)
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text which was read at beginning of the service is provided at the end of this manuscript. All quotes are from New International Version unless otherwise indicated.
[2] BDAG p. 1038
[3] Friberg Lexicon in Bible Works 6 points out that when o[pwj (transliterated hopoos) is equivalent to a purpose i[na (transliterated hina) when used with the subjunctive mood as it is here. This is also the case in verse 2 and verse 16 with reference to alms giving and fasting.
[4] This is not to deny redaction on Matthew’s part. It is simply not reasonable to think Jesus would teach this as a model prayer without using it that way himself.
[5] D. Martyn Loyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. II (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985) p. 57 considers “Thy kingdom come” and “thy will be done” as two separate petitions as do most scholars. I am considering them as one. Some authorities consider “Lead us not into temptation” and “deliver us from evil” as two separate petitions. These differences in are in the end relatively unimportant as Loyd-Jones himself points out.
[6] Ibid
[7] Hebrews 4:16 & 10:19; Eph. 1:5-6; 1 John 3:1
[8] Psalms 8:3-4; Psalm 4:3-4; Psalm 46:10
[9] Robert Guelich, A Foundation for Understanding the Sermon on the Mount (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1982) p. 310 writes, “By addressing this petition to God in the passive voice, one asks God Himself to act by revealing Himself in history both through His redemptive activity and through His own people. Consequently, to utter this petition is not to speak carelessly or thoughtlessly. One makes this petition as an expression of one’s offering of oneself for God’s service (cf. 5:16 and 6:19-24) aw well as an anticipation of God’s final Eschatological revelation of Himself as the Holy One.”
[10] James 4:3; Matthew 26:39
[11] Some of the wording from www.movieministry.com
[12] Universal Studios 2003. Be sure to stop at 01:26:12 in order to not lose the point.
[13] We closed our first service with the congregation praying the Lord’s Prayer together.
