The Gospel of the Kingdom - Matthew - Praying - Part 1

 

Text: Matthew 6:5-8 ““And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray….”

We have said that chapter 5 dealt with the internal part of the Kingdom and Chapter 6 deals with the external part of the citizen of the Kingdom. Chapter 5 dealt with the righteousness we are to possess as Kingdom citizens, and chapter 6 shows the righteousness we are to practice. Both emphasize the motive behind our behavior.

The issues addressed – giving, prayer, fasting, treasures, and trust are all practical considerations. He starts with the emphasis on applying the Kingdom principles to real-life and powerfully applies it in verse 33. We have looked at giving, now let us move into the second of these areas – the area of praying – we will consider it in two major parts – the Essentials in Prayer and the Elements in Prayer.

To start with the essentials in prayer, we need to see that Jesus teaches about prayer that God rejects in these verses.

Boasting Prayers (verse 5). Boasting means excessively proud and self-satisfied talk about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. In Luke 18:9-14 we see the example of the Pharisee and the Publican. Take a moment to read this account. When you do, you will notice how the Pharisee approaches God. With a very proud attitude. Jesus in this parable sums it up in verse 14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It all comes back to the motive of the heart in this verse. To be seen of men. Now don’t get me wrong, Jesus is not condemning public prayer – He is making sure that we know to whom we are praying. Have you ever heard a preacher preach a sermon in a prayer? Jesus uses that distinction of hypocrite again.

Babbling Prayers (verses 7 – 8). Babbling means idle, foolish, or nonsensical talk or chatter. It means also the production of meaningless strings of speech sounds like an infant. An example is shown in the account of Elijah on Mt. Carmel with the Baal worshippers. Jesus called them vain repetitions, He used the Greek word battologéō which translates as to stammer, to repeat things over and over. Jesus said that this was how the heathen – pagans – non-Jewish, what we would call the unbelievers. They believed that they could badger God to hear them.

But, Jesus assures us that God knows before we ask. So, why ask? Consider these three reasons:

1. Prayer is not to overcome God’s reluctance, to bless His people.
2. Prayer is to prepare God’s person to walk in the will of God.
3. Prayer helps us to clarify what we are wanting.

 So, Jesus is helping us to see that God does not honor babbling, boastful prayers.

That brings us to consider the prayers that God does receive.

We will take a short break over the next three days to consider the idea of Thanksgiving, and then we will continue looking t Jesus and Prayer.