THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION
ARE OPEN
Matthew 6:5-15
S: Prayer
Th: Seeing the Unseen Christ: How His Presence Transforms Life
Pr: Experience the privilege of authentic prayer.
?: How?
KW: Behaviors
TS: We will find in our study of Matthew 6:5-15 three behaviors we must have to experience the privilege of authentic prayer.
The ____ behavior we must have in order to experience the privilege of authentic prayer is to be…
I. PRIVATE (5-8)
II. PERSONAL (9-13)
III. PARDONING (14-15)
RMBC 4/01/01 AM
INTRODUCTION:
We know by the surveys that most Americans believe in prayer.
But the fact of the matter is that they believe, most don’t do it.
The reasons are various, I am sure.
Some say they believe in it, but it is more likely that they don’t think it works.
Perhaps they believe it is something you endure in church.
Other reasons may be indifference, it’s too hard, or other things are more important.
But how about you?
Do you believe in prayer?
ILL Notebook: Prayer (professional)
A woman was getting a pie ready to put into the oven when the phone rang. It was the school nurse: Her son had some down with a high fever and would she come and take him home? The mother calculated how long it would take to drive to school and back, and how long the pie should bake, and concluded there was enough time. Popping the pie in the oven, she left for school. When she arrived, her son’s fever was worse and the nurse urged her to take him to the doctor. Seeing her son like that--his face flushed, his body trembling and dripping with perspiration--frayed her, and she drove to the clinic as fast as she dared. She was frayed a bit more waiting for the doctor to emerge from the examining room, which he was doing now, walking toward her with a slip of paper in his hand. “Get him to bed,” he told her, handing her the prescription, “and start him on this right away.” By the time she got the boy home and in bed and headed out again for the shopping mall, she was not only frayed, but frazzled and frantic as well. And she had forgotten about the pie in the oven. At the mall, she found a pharmacy, got the prescription filled and rushed back to the car, which was locked. Yes, there were her keys, hanging in the ignition switch, locked inside the car. She ran back into the mall, found a phone and called home. When her son finally answered, she blurted out, “I’ve locked the keys inside the car!” The boy was barely able to speak. In a hoarse voice he whispered, “Get a wire coat hanger, Mom. You can get in with that.” And then the phone went dead. She began searching the mall for a wire coat hanger--which turned out not to be easy. Wooden hangers and plastic hangers were there in abundance, but shops didn’t use wire hangers anymore. After combing through a dozen stores, she found one that was behind the times just enough to use wire hangers. Hurrying out of the mall, she allowed herself a smile of relief. As she was about to step off the curb, she halted. She stared at the wire coat hanger. “I don’t know what to do with this!” Then she remembered the pie in the oven.
All the frustrations of the day collapsed on her and she began crying. Then she prayed, “Dear Lord, my boy is sick and he needs this medicine and my pie is in the oven and the keys are locked in the car and, Lord, I don’t know what to do with this coat hanger. Dear Lord, send somebody who does know what do with it, and I really need that person NOW, Lord. Amen.” She was wiping her eyes when a beat-up older car pulled up to the curb and stopped in front of her. A young man, twentyish-looking, in a T-shirt and ragged jeans, got out. The first thing she noticed about him was the long, stringy hair, and then the beard that hid everything south of his nose. He was coming her way. When he drew near she stepped in front of him and held out the wire coat hanger. “Young man,” she said, “do you know how to get into a locked car with one of these?” He gaped at her for a moment, then plucked the hanger from her hand. “Where’s the car?” She had never seen anything like it--it was simply amazing how easily he got into her car. A quick look at the door and window, a couple of twists of the coat hanger and bam! Just like that, the door was open. When she saw the door open she threw her arms around him. “Oh,” she said, “the Lord sent you! You’re such a good boy. You must be a Christian,” He stepped back and said, “No ma’am, I’m not a Christian, and I’m not a good boy. I just got out of prison yesterday.” She jumped at him and she hugged him again fiercely. “Praise God!” she cried. “He sent me a professional!”
TRANSITION:
Do you believe in prayer?
We spend time in prayer because…
1. Prayer is an opportunity to encounter One bigger than us.
ILL Mains, why people attend events
Why do people attend sporting events?
I assume it’s because they enjoy the excitement of the competition.
If you go to a ball game and it’s extremely dull, you feel your money was ill-spent.
Most people attend the theater to be enter-tained.
They’re not there to see a propaganda piece or to be tested on the content of what they view.
Basically, they’re looking for a good time, a diversion from their regular routine.
People enroll in higher education because they want to learn.
If there’s no improvement in their overall skills, they will figure the high tuition costs are less than a bargain.
So why do people come to church?
I believe it is because we want to touch base with what is bigger than us.
We want to sense the presence of the Lord Himself.
So let me ask you this…
2. Are you seeing the Unseen Christ?
We are on Sunday 6 of 8 in our 50-day adventure.
And it has been our goal to see the unseen Christ.
It has been our purpose to understand that He is here.
So we should worship Him with genuine enthusiasm.
We should lavish His love on others.
We should embrace righteousness and renounce evil.
We should eagerly serve Him with gratitude.
We should surrender to the truth of His Word.
Today, in response to His unseen, yet very real Presence, we want to…
3. EXPERIENCE THE PRIVILEGE OF AUTHENTIC PRAYER.
This is our exhortation this morning…
Experience the privilege of authentic prayer.
When we use the word “authentic” here, what we mean is prayer that meets Christ’s approval and honors him.
It is not prayer that goes through the motions.
It is not trying to be religious.
It is real.
Prayer can be authentic, but how is it done?
Well…
4. We will find in our study of Matthew 6:5-15 three behaviors we must have to experience the privilege of authentic prayer.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first behavior we must have in order to experience the privilege of authentic prayer is to be PRIVATE (5-8).
Jesus says…
(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.”
1. Prayer is not a staged parade.
Jesus is referring to, in this passage, the hypocritical praying of the Pharisees.
When they were praying, it was as if they were showing off.
They paraded their phoniness.
Their prayer lives were little more than displays of religiosity.
Jesus also refers to the babbling of unbelievers.
It is probably a reference to heathen magic formulas.
There would be a repetition of words which were meant to tire out the gods so that they would grant the prayer of the supplicators.
Sometimes I wonder if we do any better in the church today.
I wonder if we are on parade with our praying.
We work on saying the right phrases.
We work on saying many things.
We pray with great enthusiasm.
We pray with a loud pitch.
We pray with a holy pitch.
And we pray with holy language, a language that we don’t use anywhere else.
And I wonder…
I wonder if it is not just all babbling to God.
But instead…
2. We are to seek a keen awareness of Christ’s Presence.
I believe that if we prayed with more awareness of Jesus’ Presence, it would solve a lot of the hypocritical and babble-like praying.
It would be a sure antidote.
For we would pray like we were in a conversation between two people—face to face.
We would pray because we want to.
I like how Hubert van Zeller put it:
A lot of trouble about prayer would disappear if we only realized…that we go to pray not because we love prayer, but because we love God.
One of the techniques that I wish to recommend, and our 50-day adventure material supports, is journaling.
One of the recommended books, Prayers from my Pencil, by Greg Asimakoupoulos, is a book of creative prayers that he shares with us.
They are excellent, and I have already dared to use some of them as my own.
But I want to encourage you to journal your prayers—not just make lists.
Journal your prayers and enter into conversation with the Lord.
I believe writing your prayers is a worthy private exercise, primarily because it slows you down.
It helps the conversation with the Lord to be reflective, creative and thoughtful, instead of hurried and rushed.
It is a practice that I have used since my college days.
I have more notebooks and files on the computer with my journaling that could make up books and books.
Now, believe me, they are not that interesting, but they are a record to me of a relationship with the One I love so much.
They are a record of a God who loves me and answers my prayer.
They are the private conversation between me and my Lord.
I encourage you to take in journaling as a way to accomplish authentic prayer.
II. The second behavior we must have in order to experience the privilege of authentic prayer is to be PERSONAL (9-13).
Jesus continues…
(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.’”
1. We converse with God because we are family.
We belong to the family and because we do, we have the privileges that come with belonging to the family.
Just as our children come to us boldly and with great persistence, we have a “daddy” who loves us as His children.
I like how Jesus describes this in Matthew 7:9-11…
(9) “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!”
God delights in being in our lives.
But the privilege for us is even more than that, for…
2. We are tapped into the supreme power of the universe.
He is the One with the Holy Name.
He is supremely righteous.
And He is the most powerful force in all of creation.
He is the Almighty Creator.
He is the Awesome God.
And this is with whom we can converse at anytime, at any place, in any circumstance.
Now that’s a privilege!
So when we pray, let us focus on His will.
3. We are to focus on His will.
When we pray your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are recognizing that there is a rightful Lord to this creation.
And there is a rightful Lord to my person.
So, if I want things to be right, I want them the way He desires them to be.
I pray that He will help me to line up with His kingdom priorities.
At the same time…
4. Our needs are legitimate topics of conversation.
The wonderful thing is that God doesn’t ignore our concerns.
Our Heavenly Father doesn’t treat them or us as irrelevant.
You know, whenever I answer the phone and there’s too much silence, I know a computer has dialed my number and I am about to talk with a telemarketer.
Now, I’m sure tele-marketers are wonderful people, just doing their job.
But when they call while I’m hav-ing dinner with the family I usually hang up.
I really don’t listen to telemarketers.
However, when someone I know and love calls, I drop everything and listen intently.
What happens when you “call” God?
Does He hang up?
Does He say, “not interested”?
Or does He know someone has called who knows and loves Him?
God wants to hear about our legitimate and immediate needs, such as our health, finances, and resources.
God wants to hear about our need of forgiveness.
He wants to let go of the offenses we have committed against Him.
God wants to hear about our need to stay away from temptation.
He wants to help us to be wise in our daily living so that we won’t be tempted.
God desires to be personally involved in our lives.
Are you taking advantage of this privilege?
III. The third behavior we must have in order to experience the privilege of authentic prayer is to be PARDONING (14-15).
Jesus goes on to say…
(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.”
These verses are very important, and cannot, and must not be taken lightly.
For…
1. We are to be people of grace as God shows grace to us.
We absolutely need to extend pardons to those who have wronged us.
God will not have us experience His grace and forgiveness if we are not willing to extend it to others.
Anytime we fail in this, we come across as ungrateful—as in the parable of the unmerciful servant.
For…
2. We are not in touch with God’s heart when we do not forgive.
Simply, if we are holding a grudge, the prayer for forgiveness doesn’t count.
This is because we are never to underestimate the power of forgiveness in our own life and in the lives of others.
ILL Notebook: Forgiveness
It was five days before Christmas when a stranger approached ten-year-old Christopher Carrier, claiming to be a friend of his father. "I want to buy him a gift, and I need your help," said the stranger. Eager to do something good for his dad, Chris climbed aboard a motor home parked up the street.
The driver took Chris to a remote field, claiming to be lost, and asked Chris to look at a map. Suddenly Chris felt a sharp pain in his back. The stranger had stabbed him with an ice pick. The man drove the wounded boy down a dirt road, shot him in the left temple, and left him for dead in the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.
Chris lay lifeless for six days until a driver found him. Chris miraculously survived his injuries, though he was blind in his left eye. Because he was unable to identify his attacker, police could not make an arrest. For a long time young Chris remained frightened, despite police protection. Finally at an invitation given after a church hayride, Chris trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He recalls, "I was overwhelmed with emotion…because I knew I had never really accepted and personally met the Savior." This turning point in Chris’s life came three years after the attack. At age 15, Chris shared his story for the first time. He eventually decided to pursue full-time ministry, helping others find the peace he had discovered in Christ.
In 1996 a detective told Chris over the phone that a man had confessed to the crime that had cost him his left eye. The man’s name was David McAllister. Chris made plans to visit the feeble and now blind man, living in a nursing home. The strong young man Chris remembered was now a broken, humbled 77-year-old.
Chris learned from the detective some of the background of what had happened years ago. McAllister had been hired by Chris’s father to work as a nurse for an ailing uncle. Chris’s dad had caught McAllister drinking on the job and had fired him. The senseless attack on Chris had been motivated by revenge.
As Chris now talked to the old man, at first McAllister denied knowing anything about the kidnapping. As Chris revealed more about himself, the old man softened and eventually apologized. Chris said, “I told him, ‘What you meant for evil, God has turned into a wonderful blessing.’” Chris told his attacker how God had allowed his wounds to become open doors to share the good news of Christ.
Chris went home and told his wife and kids about meeting the man who had tried to kill him. The entire family began almost daily visits to McAllister’s nursing home. During one Sunday afternoon visit, Chris popped the most important question he had yet asked McAllister: "Do you want to know the Lord?" McAllister said yes. Both men basked in forgiveness as McAllister gave his heart to Christ. A few days later McAllister died—peacefully—in his sleep.
Carrier says it is not a story of regret, but of redemption. “I saw the Lord give that man back his life, and so much more,” Chris said. “I can’t wait to see him again someday—in heaven.”
Never doubt the power of forgiveness—in your life, or in others.
APPLICATION:
As we close, let me suggest some areas that each one of us should be praying for…
1. Pray for spiritual renewal (Psalm 51:10).
In Psalm 51, David prays…
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Each one of us needs to pay attention to our spiritual lives.
We do not gather together as a social club.
We gather together to encounter and experience the living Lord.
To do that, though, we need to seek God out and listen as He speaks.
And as that happens, we are to desire more.
Never be satisfied.
Continue to seek the renewal God offers for soul and mind.
He wants us to be like Him and to see Him as He is.
Second…
2. Pray that you will be light (Ephesians 5:8).
Our theme verse for the year is…
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…
We are to live as children of light.
Jesus is to be seen in us.
Pray that God will give you opportunities to live the gospel by sharing in the lives of others.
And pray that He will give you the opportunity to verbally share the gospel with others.
Praying for opportunity is the kind of prayer, I believe, that God loves to answer.
Finally…
3. Pray for church unity (John 17:20-21).
Church unity was so much on Jesus’ mind as headed to the cross.
He prayed…
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Please note that the devil always wants us to be divided.
He wants to create division.
He wants to turn small disagreements into big ones.
He wants us to get mad at each other, for bitterness to develop and fester, and for blow-ups to happen.
When we fall for that, then our prayer for “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is heaven,” is ineffectual.
This is why we must pray for each other.
This is why we must pray for the leadership.
This is why you must absolutely pray for me, because as I have already given plenty of evidence, I am a fallible servant of the Lord.
We can experience the privilege of authentic prayer.
As a church family, let us experience it together.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Pray…because God delights in the conversation; He wants His children to find Him a Father that wants to share all His good gifts with them.
Pray…because God answers prayer—it may not always be the answer we want, but it will always be an answer that has our best in mind.
Pray…because God is with us, and when we pray, it is a constant reminder that we are tapped into the greatest power of the universe.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
