Loyal, OK

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

Sixth in a Series on the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew

How to Get Your Prayer Past the Ceiling

Matthew 6:1-18

Have you ever wondered if your prayers got past the ceiling? I certainly have. Hopefully this message will help us solve that problem!     

One of our greatest blessings is the gift of prayer! Prayer is a wonderful privilege. Think of it! We, mortal human beings, can talk to the God of the Universe!

When you pray, remember:

1.     The love of God that wants the best for us.

2.     The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.

3.     The power of God that can accomplish it.

William Barclay, Prodigals and Those Who Love.

Pray as if everything depends on God, and then work as if everything depends on you. Martin Luther

I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of ten thousand men.  Mary, Queen of Scotland

Matthew 6:1-18

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

"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. 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. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6 makes frequent references to God as our Father. However, we need to think through how we see God. He is not a doting grandfather. His love and compassion for us is genuine, but it is not blind indulgence. God’s love can be a tough love. If we fail to walk in obedience He may withhold blessings that we want but do not deserve.

God knows the thoughts and intentions of our heart, and He cannot be manipulated. He always has our best interests at heart.

I love the America’s Funniest Home Video that shows a 2 year old boy throwing a temper tantrum. No doubt his aggravated mother or father filmed him. In the first scene the boy walks into the living room, lies on the floor and starts crying. However, no one responds, so he goes to the door in front of the kitchen and repeats the performance.

Still no response! He then goes further down the hall and still trying to get attention. God isn’t any more impressed than that boy’s parents were!

In trying to explain the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament covenant we err in making God seem more stern in the OT; more loving in the NT. The truth is that God does not change.

 One author noted that the sovereign justice of God may be a little more prominent in the Old Testament, and the loving warmth more prominent in the New Testament. However, there is certainly no conflict or contradiction. Your heavenly Father sees what you say, think and do whether in private or public. He then corrects or honors us accordingly. Fortunately God is not trigger-happy and gives us time to correct our mistakes after the Holy Spirit corrects us through our conscience.

God wants us to live in a relationship of intimacy with Him. That intimacy in prayer takes place when our hearts are humble and as we address God as Father. One would not barge into the office of the President of the United States without being invited. Neither should we barge into the prayer time without preparing our hearts and thoughts.

God wants us to prepare by praising Him for the forgiveness of our sins, taking care of our daily needs and the promise of a daily walk with God and a wonderful future in heaven with Him. We should also thank God for our family, our friends and all the other blessings we enjoy. Yes, God knows that we are thankful, but He loves to hear it from us, just like we enjoy our family members letting us know that they love us!

Words alone are not enough. When we truly worship God, we will minister to the needy, for others, and develop our personal spiritual life through study and meditating on God’s word.

We do not receive rewards when we do good things for the wrong motives. So if we give money to the poor so people will be impressed, we have received all the reward that we will ever receive.

If we do it quietly, then God will reward us openly.

Having said that, if we set an example by what we do and make sure that God gets the glory, then we have not sinned.

C. H. Spurgeon said, “A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching.”

Jesus healed many, many people, often in the open. He fed several thousand people with very little bread and a few fish on two occasions. He wants and expects us to be busy helping others, and that usually involves teamwork… so it is all about motive.

Someone has said, “I would not give much for your religion unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they do shine.

If you have trouble doing what God asks of you, consider the following story:

Marguerite Bro tells of a minister who took his little child to a circus. She writes,

"The clowns were particularly good and the last one of them was a little fellow wearing a very wonderful high hat. While he was bowing elaborately to a dignified woman, his hat fell off and an elephant sat on it.

"The clown gestured wildly at the elephant, but the beast sat still. He waved and shouted again and again, but the elephant never budged. Angrily the clown stepped behind the elephant and kicked with all his strength, and hopped away with a sore foot in his hands.

"Then, frantic with anger, the little clown turned back to the elephant and tried to lift him off the hat. Defeated and in complete despair, the clown sat down and started to eat peanuts. The elephant was interested in peanuts got up, ambled over, and begged for one!"

That was a powerful illustration for that minister. He realized that he'd just witness a spiritual object lesson: You can't accomplish anything for God by crabbing and kicking at the world (or your spouse, child, neighbor or co-worker!).  Source Unknown; found at www.sermonillustrations.com

When you pray, remember:

1.     The love of God that wants the best for us.

2.     The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.

3.     The power of God that can accomplish it.  Ibid

       Sunday, November 18, 2007