The Power Of Prayer Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

This morning we’re continuing our study of the Sermon on the Mount. From the beginning of this study, I’ve shared with you and pointed out to you how Jesus was calling for the life of the believer to be rooted in the life of Christ. Believers are significantly different from that of the world. Our whole outlook on things is the counterpoint to how the world views things. How we view the family, marriage, morality, relationships with each other, and our relationship with God.

We have been reborn, renewed, and redeemed. We look forward with Hope, but not the same kind of Hope the world possesses. Our hope is rooted in the essence of God and the promises he made to those who will put their faith in Him. We look at life differently, how we grieve is even different, and even how we view money is different.

But perhaps there is no more significant difference in our lives than the way we commune with God. And there is no more excellent means to commune with God than through prayer. Now any time you get into a discussion about prayer, you find yourself in contention about the sovereignty of God. The Calvinist will say that God is sovereign, and so God will do whatever He’s going to do whether you pray or don’t pray. Prayer isn’t really that essential in determining God’s actions. On the other hand, you have the Armenian who says that God moves only when His people commit to prayer on something.

And some people believe then that prayer simply is a way of communing with God about what He’s already going to do anyhow, and others feel that prayer is beseeching God to do what He otherwise would never do. And it’s challenging sometimes to deal with what is the truth. Because there are times when we see in the Scripture that men pray, and it says God, as it were, changed His mind or His direction and did something that it appeared He wouldn’t do. There are other times when God says, "I’m going to do what I’m going to do anyway." (MacArthur)

So inevitably, someone will ask me which is correct, and my answer is always the same, “Yes.” I don’t think prayer is an issue of us somehow persuading God to act in a certain way, but instead that it is putting us into His perfect will to act and live in the manner of His will. Conversely, I think God looks to His people to be committed to prayer to Him for His will to be done and answers prayer in His people doing so. The most important aspect of prayer I want you to understand is that prayer is essential to your spiritual life. It is vital to your spiritual health, and it is a paramount aspect of the Church’s worship. So with that in mind, I am going to spend the next several weeks coving the topic of prayer as presented by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, starting with today’s topic of prayer in worship and then continuing on with a study of the Lord’s prayer.

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the first of 3 topics of worship Jesus uses in the aspects of hypocritical worship: Giving, Praying, and Fasting. Jesus is stripping the Jews naked of their self-righteousness and hypocrisy related to their worship. Jesus uses a Greek word that describes them as a stage actor when it comes to their worship, and he does the same for the way they pray:

5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5–8)

14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, then I will listen from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. (?2 Chronicles 7:14)

I wonder how many times we’ve heard that Scripture? Most of us hold onto this for reason of national purposes. We say, we’ll pray and God will heal the brokenness in America. God will help end racism. God will tear down walls of poverty, kill injustice, restore the meaning of marriage, and so on. But that’s too easy because we get to deflect God’s call from ourselves onto something external. Meanwhile, how are things in your land? How are things progressing in the brokenness in your home? How is God healing the racism in your heart? How is He doing as the Lord or your finances? How’s your marriage? Are you humbling yourself, seeking God’s face, praying, and letting him heal your land?