We began our new series on the Model Prayer housed in Matthew 6:5-13 which I tagged the series God's Blueprint For A Prayer-Filled Life, with an exposition on verses 5-8. This look at the Model Prayer is a part of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount found in chapters 5-7. Jesus in this blueprint to prayer, shows us in verses 9-13 how to pray to our heavenly Father, but he opens this portion of his discourse in verses 5-8 by showing us how not to pray. I have discovered that we can learn more by being shown what not to do than we can do by being told what to do. The key to these 4 verses is found in the opening words of verses 5-7, when you pray. This suggests to us that Jesus assumes that anyone who says that they belong to God, already possess a prayer life. Here is the sermon outline:
Text: Matthew 6:5-8
Thesis: the beginning of a great prayer life is birthed at the very moment you begin to pray
I. Great Prayers Must Be Secretive
-verse 6...but when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you
-this verse is a direct command against what he saw from others in verse 5...don't pray like the hypocrites
-Jesus did not have a problem with aspects of their prayer
a. measure of their prayers - they were praying
b. manner of their prayers - they were standing
c. ministry of their prayers - in the synagogues and street corners
-Jesus had a problem with the motivation of their prayers - that they may be seen by others
-charges them to pray in private
a. resident of our secret place - the Father
b. riches in the secret place - the Father will reward you
II. Great Prayers Must Be Simplistic
-verse 7...and when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words
-Jesus teaches us not to pray like the heathens, because heathens pray two ways
a. Repetitious Prayers - empty phrases
b. Ritualistic Prayers - empty phrases
-they do this to please men instead of God
III. Great Prayers Must Be Selective
-verse 8...do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him
1 comment:
Man...I love this!!!
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