"THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT"
Prayer (Mt 6:5-15)
INTRODUCTION
- The entire sixth chapter expounds upon the "righteousness of the
kingdom" WITH RESPECT TO MAN'S RELATION TO GOD, especially in the
practice of certain ACTS of righteousness
- Remember that verse one likely provides an introductory statement
concerning all acts of righteousness: "Take heed that you do not do [them] before
men, to be seen by them..."
- We have seen this principle applied to charitable deeds
- Now we shall consider how Jesus applied it to the practice of
"prayer"
[First, we find...]
- WHAT "NOT" TO DO IN REGARDS TO PRAYER (5)
- DO NOT BE LIKE THE "HYPOCRITES"
- Who love to pray...
- Standing in the synagogues
- On the corners of the streets
- This they do "that they may be seen of men"
- "THEY HAVE THEIR REWARD"
- That is, they are indeed seen by men
- But that is the extent of their reward (the praise of men)
- They will have no reward or blessing from God!
- JESUS IS NOT CONDEMNING "ALL" PUBLIC PRAYING...
- This is evident from the fact He Himself prayed in public
- Mt 11:25; Jn 11:41
- So did Paul - Ac 27:35
[The emphasis is the same as stated in verse one, "do not do your
[deeds of righteousness] before men, TO BE SEEN BY THEM."
How, then, are we to pray as to be heard by God...?]
- ELEMENTS OF PROPER PRAYER (6-15)
- MUST BE DONE "TO BE SEEN OF GOD," NOT MEN (6)
- This is the main idea being "praying in secret"
- "The sincere and humble worshiper, one who is not interested
in making a public display for the sake of enhancing his
prestige, will find the secluded nook or den to be most
appropriate for his devotions." (unknown)
- The person who prays much in secret is praying to be seen of
God, not men!
- MUST BE DONE "TO BE HEARD OF GOD," NOT MEN (7)
- By avoiding the use of "vain repititions"
- As was often practiced by the heathen religions
- "The heathen tried to tire out their gods with such endless
prayers. Mere formulas were repeated over and over again;
the Jews had such prayer formulas, Catholics also have them
in the form of their rosary." (LENKSI)
- Since "the Father knows the things you have need of before you
ask Him," prayers to be heard by God do not have to be filled
with superfluous words
- MUST BE PATTERNED AFTER THE MANNER JESUS DESCRIBED (9-13)
- The phrase "in this manner"...
- Suggests that "The Lord's Prayer" is a PATTERN for praying
- I.e., not a liturgical exercise as sometimes practiced
- The PATTERN of proper prayer:
- First, SIMPLICITY
- Notice the word "therefore"
- It connects what follows with what was said before
- Jesus' pattern for prayer is an "illustration" in
contrast to the "many words" used by the heathen
- In the prayer itself, note the brevity of words
- Then, in its CONTENT, proper prayer includes...
- Reverence for God and His "Name" (that is, His Being and
character) - 9
- Praying for the progress of God's Kingdom and His Will
on the earth - 10
- Asking for physical necessities - 11
- Also, our spiritual needs
- Forgiveness of sins - 12
- Protection and deliverance from evil - 13
- Praising God - 13
- MUST BE OFFERED WITH A MERCIFUL SPIRIT (14-15)
- As indicated in the pattern prayer itself - 12
- Otherwise, we cannot expect mercy for ourselves - cf. Mt 18:21-35; Jm 2:13
- This must be a very important point to Jesus, for this is the
only part of the pattern prayer upon which He elaborated!
CONCLUSION
- The privilege of prayer is one of the most important blessings to be
enjoyed by the children of God in this life
- How important, then, that we be sure to pray in such a manner as to
be seen and heard by our Father in heaven!
Next, we shall examine what Jesus says about fasting...