How to Pray - Matthew 6:5-15

Jesus continues in His Sermon on the Mount with another act of righteousness - Prayer. In Matthew  6:5-15, Jesus tells us the manner in which we should pray, where we should pray and He even offers us an example of how we should pray. The model is beautiful in its simplicity. It does not try to drown God in words. It does not try to manipulate Him or ingratiate Him to the pray-er.

Prayer

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 others. Truly I tell you, 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.
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 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Questions

Jesus says not to pray like the hypocrites that make a show of it. Aside from what Jesus offers here, in what ways does prayer become a show; A work to be done so that everyone will know you are righteous? 

-We've all heard windy, flowery prayers offered in King James English. Then there are the prayers that are not so much prayers to God as they are sermons to others that may be listening. Both kinds of prayers can go on and on. It's like the pray-er needs to inform God of things He did not know or advise others present of the pray-er's close relationship with God. These kinds of prayers are probably not what Jesus had in mind when He was teaching.

Jesus also indicates that private prayer is the best policy. So, why do we even offer public, corporate prayer in gatherings of the Church?

-This is a rhetorical question. You figure it out. I know what I think. I'm not sure there is a place for  corporate prayer inside the meetings of the church or outside. Prayer is personal. Where in the Bible do you see an example of corporate prayer? Seriously. It just is not there - especially in the New Testament.

The model prayer that Jesus offers is interesting. It honors God. It asks that His will be done. It asks  that our daily need for food be met and it acknowledges God as the giver. It asks for forgiveness. And it asks for protection from temptation and its source - the evil one. It is at once, simple straightforward and brief. Why do we not pray in this fashion? Why do we take this simple outline of a prayer and hang every last little request on it's parts?

-As Jesus said, God already knows what we need. We need to keep it simple. Keeping the line open is one thing. Jabbering on and on about the least little things that God already knows about is quite another. The Lord does not need it. We must not confuse our needs with the reasons for prayer. If we want to talk to Him about the issues of our day, perhaps that helps us more than Him? Maybe God does not mind that. Maybe He can work through that to help us. Maybe he would just like us to use the brains He gave us? Who is to say? I know we do not see prayer like ours today recorded in scripture. Do you really think there was a prayer list in the early churches? I wonder.

Before Jesus gave them this example, do you think anyone ever taught the people of His time to pray?

- I am thinking not. At least not like this.

The line in the prayer about debt is interesting. Do you think it's about monetary debt or something else? If so, what?

Here's a clue - the answer lies in vss 14 and 15. 
  

Matthew 6:1-4

Jesus continues preaching on the mountainside in Matthew 6. In this chapter He addresses sermon to several acts of righteousness and how they should be practiced. In verses 1-4 Jesus talks about giving to the needy.

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus assumes that his listeners will be giving to the needy, but He want them to know that the manner in which they give makes a difference, particularly to God. Giving should not be motivated by a desire for self aggrandizement or the approval of other. Instead, it needs to be done as an act directed toward God and in private. If we give because we love God, then the giving should be between the giver and God alone.

Back in the day, the Pharisee would walk into the temple with his money bag on his belt, fully loaded with change. He would slowly dump the contents in the poor box. The noise of the coins falling would echo throughout the house, drawing the attention of worshipers to the man's alleged generosity. Swelled with pride, the Pharisee would do his victory walk to the gate, having impressed the rank and file with his generosity.

Jesus says that people like this have already received their reward for giving. However, those that give in secret, without making a show, will receive God's approval and eternal rewards await these people.

Questions

So, what are some contemporary ways that people "blow trumpets" to call attention to their giving?

-Have you ever seen a memorial plaque on an object at church? That's one way. Others will designate their gifts. In the world, politicians and philanthropists just call a press conference. 

What does "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" mean in vs 3?

-It means that giving behavior should be something that is automatic, perhaps done without thinking about anything other than the need. It should be a natural spiritual response produced in us by God, that we do not even notice. 

What is the best way of ensuring secrecy in giving?

-Simple. Keep it quiet. Don't talk about it except to God.
  

Attitude is Everything - Matthew 5:21-48

In the pursuit of righteousness, it's not just what you do that matters. What you do is always proceeded by thoughts and attitudes. Those thoughts are capable of producing actions. Some of those thoughts and actions could produce sin under the right circumstances.

You may never murder anyone or commit adultery or fornication...but did you think about it? Did you consider, if only briefly, that some people just need killin and this guy (whoever he might be) is pushin all the right buttons for that? What about that scantly clad young lady moving her way down the sidewalk ever so seductively? Did you ever think for a minute that it would be nice to spend the afternoon with her discussing her finer points? Maybe it was a car that caused the desire or the top was down and the woman inside had managed to sell the whole package to you all in a flash in your mind. 

When we dwell on things, when we get angry or or we covet or we lust; this is when the process of sin and unrighteousness starts. Our attitude in a given situation can produce a harvest of sin. What does Jesus say? 

Murder

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Anger is akin to murder. If someone is angry with us or we with them; the whole thing can escalate out of control. It might start with an off hand remark about their intelligence or maybe something stupid like a small financial debt. The result could be violence or a lawsuit or worse. Instead of letting things get out of hand, we need to find ways to make the peace, particularly if we are the ones in error. We have to do what we can to keep the peace with our neighbors and with God. The issue, whatever it may be, has to be settled with as little acrimony as possible. Vengeance and loss of control are not godly behaviors and they can lead to violence and murder.  

Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Lust is a bad habit. It's a luxury we cannot afford to be burdened with. If we allow it to rule us,   serious consequences will abound. Adultery is just one result. We can lust after all kinds of things that have nothing to do with sex. It's possible to lust over a plate of bacon or your neighbor's lawn mower. Lust, unbridled desire and covetousness can lead to all kinds of sins that bring very serious consequences. Broken families, sexual disease, obesity and thievery are a few; not to mention separation from God or at least a major dent in that relationship.

Divorce

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’^{[f] 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

In the old days, men were kings and women were property. Under the Law, you could divorce your wife for burning the toast. And I am sure there were hard hearted men that did just that. The same is true today. There are men and women in marriage relationships that are abusers and philanderers and whatever else you might care to name. Forgiveness is needed. The desire to change negative behaviors must prevail. Love should rule over both husband and wife so that things to not get to this point. Selfishness must be put out of the house. The needs of your partner must always take precedence. 

Jesus does not want divorce. He is opposed to it. He offers only one valid reason for it - infidelity. He goes so far as to say that anyone who divorces for any other reason forces their partner to commit adultery. This is because it is almost inevitable that the couple will marry other people...and in God's eyes, you are still and always married to you original wife or husband. God does not believe in divorce, hence, remarriage is adultery.    

Oaths

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

^{The bottom line here is....if you always tell the truth, then oaths will not be necessary. Simple eh?}

Eye for Eye

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’^{[h] 39} But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Someone said if we all operated under the "eye for and eye" principle, we would all be blind and toothless. This is probably very close to the truth. I'm not sure I will be hanging around for the second slap though. 

I think that the idea behind Jesus' advice here is to avoid conflict and show your tormentor that you are of better character than they are. In time they will find no satisfaction in their bad behavior and it will stop. 

Love for Enemies

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[i] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Really, love my enemies? This is hard. Praying for them is easier than loving them. Nonetheless we are commanded to do both. Why? Maybe because they too were created by God and despite their unrighteousness, God loves them too and wants them to draw close to Him. Showing love toward them might eventually enable that possibility.

Verse 48 caps off a list of things that are nearly impossible with one that is completely impossible. Jesus says to be perfect like our heavenly Father.

Some try to say Jesus meant that we should be perfect in love like God, but really, is that not just as impossible? And the text does not say that anyway.

And that may be the point. Jesus, in this sermon, is taking the high bar of the law and raising it even higher. He knows that we will not be able to keep the law under either His interpretation or even that of the Pharisees. What I think Jesus is really teaching us about in this sermon is the character of God, His Father. 

It will not be the works of the law that saves us. It will be being born again in His Spirit; regenerated, reformed and able to change our attitude. Self control of outward acts is something most all of us can do. Changing our spiritual nature is something only God can do for us. We just have to surrender our wills. Sounds easy - takes a lifetime. That's my experience anyway. Maybe you are already perfect like our heavenly Father. If so, you can come over and walk across my swimming pool. 

Wait...I don't have a pool. We will have to go to a pond. I will drive. OK? 

Hard to Get

In the midst of our efforts to remain faithful and be obedient to our Savior sometimes we get distracted and frustrated because we do not understand why things are the way they are. We wonder why we are faced with certain life challenges. We do not see the purpose or even the cause of the things we suffer through. We actually feel a sense of divine injustice. Some will lose faith. Others will question their Creator.

I have been both places. More often than not though, I am a questioner. I don't know if that's appreciated in the heavenly realms, but God did let Job rattle on for 38 chapters. Oh to be as sound in my thinking as Job. Do you remember what God said to Job in chapter 38 after all his entreaties?

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

² “Who is this that obscures my plans
    with words without knowledge?
³ Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.

God went on like that with question after question for two chapters. Job, of course, had no answers and you know what? He never got any from God either. As our modern philosophy so tritely puts it, "it is what it is". There are things that, even if explained, we would never understand. This does not stop the questions of course. Like two year old's, we want to know the "why", even if there is no way we will comprehend what is in the mind of God. 

This is maybe why Paul says in Romans 9:

 ¹⁴ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

and again...

 
¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

God's mercy is at once a glorious and terrible thing. It can be received like a cool drink of water on a hot day when we need it or as a gross miscarriage of justice when applied to someone else we have judged as undeserving. The fact is though, we all need His mercy and His grace. We should accept that gift and move forward regardless of who we are and we should not pass judgement on God when He gives it to people we have deemed unworthy. Who are we to do the "deeming" anyway?

So question away. God is bigger than you know and he can take it. What you need to consider is this....are you big enough to withstand his reply? 

Again, to close, I will turn to another song by Rich Mullins. In his song, "Hard to Get", he gives an apt description of our sometimes attitude and a reminder of what His mercy cost.

   

You who live in Heaven
Hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth
Who are afraid of being left by those we love
And who get hardened by the hurt

Do you remember when You lived down here?
Where we all scrape to find the faith to ask for daily bread
Did You forget about us after You had flown away?
Well I memorized every word You said

Still I'm so scared, I'm holding my breath
While You're up there just playing hard to get

You who live in radiance
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin
We have a love that's not as patient as Yours was
Still we do love now and then

Did You ever know loneliness, did You ever know need?
Do You remember just how long a night can get?
When You were barely holding on and Your friends fall asleep
And don't see the blood that's running in Your sweat

Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
While You're up there just playing hard to get?

And I know You bore our sorrows
And I know You feel our pain
And I know it would not hurt any less
Even if it could be explained

And I know that I am only lashing out
At the One who loves me most
And after I figured this, somehow
All I really need to know

Is if You who live in eternity
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time
We can't see what's ahead
And we can not get free of what we've left behind
I'm reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears
All the words of shame and doubt, blame and regret

I can't see how You're leading me unless You've led me here
Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led
And so You've been here all along I guess
It's just Your ways and You are just plain hard to get

The last stanza says it all. The Lord does understand us. He knows we have questions. This is why we must be faithful and obedient. We will probably not understand while we are here. But someday, I think it will be clear. We will know. And it will have been worth the stress.

Keep walking Christian. He's just ahead of you. You might even be able to see Him smiling as He looks over His shoulder. He is taking you to a wonderful place. If you fall down, He will come back for you. You are not alone!   

It's Hard

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “For faith is only real when there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience.”

This is the great truth of the Christian faith. God loves our obedience to His precepts. It's faith and obedience that produce trust in our relationship with God. This has been true since the days of our spiritual ancestor, Abraham, and it continues to be true today. We evangelicals and fundies tend to get all excited about His grace and love, but I think sometimes we use it to rationalize behavior that might not be considered Christ-like.

In our world, this kind of faith laden obedience can be...is...hard. Life in the 21st century bombards us with moral and spiritual temptations and there is also the things that we do not do - that we omit from our behavior - things that those of faith should be doing.

It's hard. Still the call remains loud and clear. Obey. Love. Serve. Do.

As we age in the faith, matters of obedience should become second nature to Christ followers. We should do the will of God without even thinking about it. As Jesus would have said, we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. Obedience should be automatic and without much thought.

Even so, we will find ways to make our lives seem OK with God. We have middle age crises. We behave as teenagers when we are in our 50's. We long for the days of youthful hedonism. We seem to forget that we are mortal and the days of wine and roses have past.  We forget that we will one day meet Jesus.

Bonhoeffer wrote the quote above in the midst of a holocaust that he refused to participate in. He saw the godless Nazis for what they were and he stood firm firm in his faith and the will of Christ to the end. His faith produced a harvest of obedience among nameless faithful Germans of the time that stood firm in the face of all kinds of persecution. I wonder if we would do so well? Will we be strong enough to stand when the gathering storm overtakes us? It's hard to say. It's hard to do. It's hard to be like Jesus.

Maybe this is why Rich Mullins wrote and sang:

Well, I am a good Midwestern boy
I give an honest day's work if I can get it
I don't cheat on my taxes, I don't cheat on my girl I've got values that would make the White House jealous
Well, I do get a little much over-impressed
'Til I think of Peter and Paul and the apostles
I don't stack up too well against them I guess
But by the standards 'round here I ain't doing that awful
Lord, it's hard to turn the other cheek
Hard to bless when others curse you
Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of peace
Lord, it's hard, oh it's hard,
You know it's hard to be like Jesus
Don't you know it's hard, oh it's hard,
Oh Lord, it's hard to be like Jesus
And it's hard to step out on them waves
Hard to walk beyond your vision
Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of faith
Lord, it's hard (hard), Lord, it's hard (so hard),
Oh Lord, it's hard to be like Jesus
Don't you know it's hard (hard), oh it's hard (yeah hard),
Oh Lord, it's hard to be like Jesus
Well, His eye's on the sparrow
And the lilies of the field I've heard
And He will watch over you and He will watch over me
So we can dress like flowers and eat like birds
And it's hard when your soul had been stripped bare
Hard to lift your eyes toward Heaven
Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of prayer
Lord, it's hard, oh it's hard,
You know it's hard to be like Jesus
Lord, it's hard to be a man of peace
But it's hard (so hard), ain't it hard (hard),
You know it's hard to be like Jesus
Don't you know it's hard (hard), and it's hard (yeah hard)
To be a man of peace (hard, so hard)
But it's hard to be like Jesus
And I'm trying, trying, try
Oh Lord, I try so hard
Don't you know it's hard
Oh glory, oh gracious
But ain't it hard to be like Jesus   

Lord please give us the strength to stand, whether the tempest is personal or all encompassing. We must never forget what you did for us and that remembrance must translate through our faith to behavior and a trustful knowing that you do indeed walk with us. Some of us think you actually meant what you said in Your Sermon on the Mount. It scares us because, it's hard. Help us to find joy in the challenge Lord! In your gracious Name we pray....Amen