Certainly is wonderful to be here with all of you to worship
God in spirit. And in truth, I hope the things
that we have to consider for a little while this morning would
be edifying to you and encouraging to you.
In some way, as you can see, on the screen, the title of our
lesson is our my prayers, vain repetitions.
We're going to notice the Book of Matthew the sixth chapter
verses 5 through 9 in this lesson, but for an introductory
text. East will just simply look at
verses 7 and 8. Jesus says, 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.
Prayer is a great blessing that the child of God has.
In fact, John said in the book of First John He said that if we
ask anything according to his will God hears us, the word,
hear their presupposes, according to we Vine of
response. Meaning this God, hears,
everything, there's nothing, God does not hear audibly.
The audible sound in his ear. But what's different between the
child of God and the rest of the world, John says a blessing for
being a Christian is that God answers his children.
That's wonderful blessing that we have but there's something
that was bothering me a little bit.
I wondered if there comes a time when our prayers become vain
repetitions and for example when you offer thanks for your food
and you pray to God for food. If you use the same words
without coming up with new dissimilar words in the next
time is that a vain repetition? Well, I thought of this, you do
you want to know something that you don't know, it's always best
to go to someone that knows more than you.
Well, the one that knows more than all of us is Jesus.
And from his sermon, the great Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew
chapter 6, I think we can come to an understanding and we can
come to an answer to those questions.
Remember, this though, prayer is that Divine communication that
comes from the heart of a Christian and goes to the throne
of God? It's more than a duty, it's a
Blessing to the child of God. And as we begin, we want to back
up and go to verse number 5. This is what Jesus says on this
occasion, he says, and when you pray, when Jesus says, when you
pray, it's obvious that he's suggesting you will pray.
And not only that, but you're going to pray often, Jesus
understood that you're going to pray office.
This is what he said. He begins this in this sermon.
He says, when you pray Don't be like the Hypocrites.
Don't do that. Christians are going to pray
often. Well in Jewish culture prayer
was very important. It was in those days and it
still is today among the Jews in their culture.
In fact, they had certain intervals, you might remember
and they set aside these intervals like at 9 a.m. and 12
p.m. and 3 p.m. And what they would do is when
those hours would hit, it was called The Hour of Prayer.
They would stop all activity, suspend, all of that.
And take time to pray in one way.
That's a good thing. But by the time Jesus, Jesus.
Preached this sermon, the fair season, taking it to a whole
nother level and a whole nother meaning they had taken something
that was precious and Priceless, and private, a private act of
worship, and turned it into a public, spectacle religious
leaders made long prayers and they did.
So, for show, notice what he says here, this is what they do.
They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the
corners of the streets that they may be seen.
By men, Jesus said, assuredly, I say to you, they have their
reward. Now I'll just say this about the
posture of prayer. There is no design designated
posture for prayer. So when Jesus says they are
standing, he wasn't condemning the posture of standing.
In fact that was just customary that when they prayed they
stood, but in the Old Testament, there's more examples.
For example, we find that men often times would And kneel in
prayer. Some would do this in great
humility before the Lord. They would lay prostrate on the
ground face down, and they would pray.
Yeah, we do the same thing, we have different postures for
prayer, don't we? We stand sometimes, sometimes we
sit and we pray. Sometimes, we kneel down and we
pray. I know this, when I put on my
head at night to end, and I'm about to go to sleep my prayers,
I'm using laying on my back, there is no designated
scriptural posture for prayer. The whole idea is it's the
humbleness of the heart. That matters it is putting
yourself in. All and respect for the great
God of heaven. And there's another custom that
we have. When we pray, it's called
closing our eyes. Now, I got what I want to talk
about that for just a minute. Closing your eyes in prayer.
Can be something that helps you concentrate and stay focused but
it is no requirement or there is no requirement for closing.
Your eyes in prayer. I got to taste something
happened to me as a kid after Services.
We got in the car, we start driving home.
I said hey, Dad Dad. So and so he had his eyes open
the whole prayer. You know, my dad said had Gino
is eyes, were open, got caught and then he said something that
I have, never forgot, he said, prayers are not made with the
eyes, they're made with the heart and that's what matters.
But we have Customs for how we do things to just like the Jews
did. So when the Pharisees would pray
for the edification of themself, when they would pray to be seen
of men, their prayers got no higher than the The ceiling got
no higher than the roof. The second place that the
Pharisees abused prayer was the first place was in the
synagogues and by the way, that's their place of worship.
But not only that, they abuse prayer on the corners of the
streets, Jewish life, and economy revolved around the
outdoor market. And all of these praise Seekers,
they would capitalize on the street crowds, they were wide
and major thoroughfares, and They would go to these places
when there was a great crowd and they would pray to be seen and
heard by others. We're getting this point because
we're going to understand what Jesus meant when he said about
vain repetitions. If we understand the context of
what he's saying. He said don't be like the
Hypocrites. What do they do?
They love to stand in the synagogues at their place of
worship and speak and be heard for their much speaking?
They like to go to the corners of the streets and all of that.
Jesus says, when you do that You have your reward.
My father-in-law used to do it like this.
You know what, here's your award right here.
That's it. Whatever.
Praise that you got from. Someone that said, oh look, look
at that Christian over there. Look at that person over there.
Praying how wonderful that's it when you do.
So, to be seen of Mary. Now, Jesus is not prohibiting
all public prayers. In fact, there are times when
such is appropriate. Paul said this in first, Timothy
Chapter 2 and verse 8, get this now, he said, I desire.
Therefore, That men pray everywhere.
Lifting up, holy hands. When Jesus, when Paul says men
everywhere, that's not just talking about the Assembly of
the church as talking about everywhere.
What he's saying is there's a need for prayer and these men
with holy hands are to be the ones that do.
So there's a time for that that men pray everywhere lifting up.
Holy hands, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that but
what is Holy hands actually mean I preached on this a couple
years ago so I'm not going to go very deep into it.
But the idea Dia of lifting up. Holy hands lifting up.
Holy hands is not the posture of doing this.
It is not the hands, have nothing to do with your prayer
and when Paul said lifting up holy hands, he wasn't talking
about these hands. Elevating them literally up in
the air. This is what he meant, lifting
up. Holy hands means this.
It means hands of men who are living holy or righteous lives
the lifting up. Of the hands is merely an
illusion to the ancient practice of presenting the uplifted hands
in respectful petitions to God. Those things are found and
Nehemiah chapter 8, Psalm 141 and Lamentations chapter 3.
So what do you talking about the command pertains to the kind of
hands being lifted up and not the posture or the body?
During prayer, he's not condemning public prayer.
Jesus was not, he condemns the improper attitude and praying
for the wrong reasons because prayer is never to be offered.
So, the speaker would be glorified Now we're going to
learn that in verse 9 when we get there, but that's hang on to
that thought. So, before you pray in public,
one should always review his motives because in verse number
2, we find that you have their reward.
There's nothing else that's going to come.
Now I may have given you this example before, I don't know.
I've given it some more because I remember preaching and I
remember giving this example. So if I've given you this
example, I still think it really applies a couple of years ago.
I think this is the perfect picture of what the Lord is
talking about a couple of years ago by 5:00.
I was I left the street where Bakersfield high school was and
I went down to the intersection and it was extremely busy and
all of a sudden all these people were gathered around.
It was a very bustling time of the day and I was driving Diving
with my air conditioned on the windows were up and there was a
fellow over there in the street. One guy was holding up a sign
about Jesus and the other guy had a microphone and a great big
speaker. He was praying in that speaker
in that microphone with a gal that a lady that Kayla had come
by. That's a wonderful thing to pray
with people in it. Why the microphone It was so
loud. I heard the prayer.
He was praying with my windows rolled up.
There's only one reason that somebody would do that.
Look at what we're doing. Look at me to be seen of men.
I think that's kind of the thing that the Lord was condemning in
our passage. But let's go to verse number 6
of our passage. Now he says this, he says, when
you pray, so in other words, don't do what I just said.
But when you pray Go into your room and when you have shut the
door, pray to your father who is in secret in a secret place and
your father who sees in secret will reward you, openly he shows
that private prayer is to be private.
You know there's great blessings of private prayer.
It's a time that you can depart from the stress of the day.
It's a time that you can pour your heart out to God.
It's a wonderful opportunity to pray to God and speak to him.
We're going to talk about that relationship and just a few
minutes. But this is what he says, when
you go into your inner closet, God is there and God is going to
hear and God is going to answer. He's listening to us when our
prayers are correctly. Pray.
But this is what he says in verse 7.
When you pray do not use vain repetitions, okay?
What is that? If I use the same words from
prayer to prayer, is it automatically becoming a vain
repetition or a ritualistic behavior or act.
What is vain repetitions mean the words, the two English words
vain repetitions comes from one, Greek word, by the way.
And that one, Greek word means this.
It refers to stammering thoughtless cheddar or a
meaningless repetition of sounds or phrases.
That's what it means to have, vain repetition.
And that's what the Lord was talking about.
That's according to Robertson, by the way.
So, he says this, when you pray do not use vain repetitions, and
then Jesus says, who are the ones that are doing that?
He says, as the Heathen, do you know, the illusion here is to
most Pagan religion, is to practice repeatedly calling on
their deities name. In order to force him into
action, the worshipers of Baal you remember at Mount Carmel.
Cried out from morning to noon. Member this AB bail here us and
1st Kings, 18 and 26. It was also an event that
happened in the days of the Apostle Paul as he encountered
such a problem when those that were in Ephesus cried out to
Diana for two hours. The idea was that the value of a
prayer was found in the quantity of words rather than the
quality. But Jesus refutes that and you
know what he does, he proves his point when he gave an
illustration or a story between the Pharisee and the tax
collector, not going to go into that story.
I just want to say this the opposite of what this one man
did that Jesus said was justified, had many words, many
many words, but Jesus says that this man over here, the tax
collector is Justified, get this with seven words.
God be merciful to me V. That's what it says, in the
original sinner, seven words. Not a whole lot of words.
Seven words. Many religions today.
Oftentimes use, vain repetitions.
Buddhists and Hindus chant their mantras.
Here is Maddox. Worked himself into a religious
frenzy seized by repetitious. Acts still others, today Delight
in the repetition of Hail Mary and our father.
But Jesus condemns, this repetition as being Heathen and
foreign in God's ears. The god of the true Christian is
not lifeless. He's not a piece of wood, he's
not a statue, he's living and he is loving.
He is not in some distant place that he cannot know what our
needs are. In fact, he knows us.
So very well, not only are our hairs even numbered but he even
knows what we need before we ask him and yet it is something we
must do we still Still must ask as the Bible says.
We have not because we ask not, God Can Be Touched.
God can be reached. God is our father and Isaiah 59
in verse 1. Behold the Lord's hand is not
shortened that it cannot save nor his ear heavy.
That it cannot hear God. Does hear us?
There's no reason to think that are many words will tell God.
Something he does not already know him by the way.
When you pray to God, have you ever considered this?
There's nothing you can tell God information-wise that he doesn't
know. He already knows it.
So prayer is not a time to start telling God stuff if you want to
tell God, something then tell him how great he is.
If you want to tell God something, tell him how much you
love him. Tell him how much you appreciate
him, tell him how thankful you are telling those things but to
tell God stuff, by way of information, it's really not
necessary. He already knows all that.
Nothing you could say that tells God anything And so, when we
pray to God, Jesus is not condemning all repetition in
prayer, he is suggesting that every prayer be he's not
suggesting that every prayer is dissimilar to the previous one.
In fact, Jesus himself repeats. Prayers in the Garden of
Gethsemane, Jesus is facing the agony of death.
He's facing the agony of death. And Matthew chapter 26.
He went a little further and he fell on his face and prayed
saying, O my father. If it is possible let this cup
pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will.
But as you will in verse 44 of the very same chapter, just a
few verses later. He said this.
So we left them win again. And prayed the third time,
please get this saying the same words.
Jesus who was an absolutely no shortness forwards or intellect
or anything, he prayed three times and in all three occasions
praying for the same thing, he used the same words.
Was that a vain repetition? Surely not.
What about praying for our food? I'm gonna tell you why this
bothered me this trouble me is, sometimes people accuse
Christians for doing some ritualistic thing when they pray
and it can be remember when kids were taught this quote-unquote
prayer, called Grace. Remember saying grace, kids were
taught Grace God is great. God is good.
Let us thank him for our food. Amen.
That is a Mindless memorized chatter.
That's not a thoughtful heartfelt prayer.
That is just something that somebody says, right before you
eat that's different than using the same words.
When you pray must I change my words.
Well, first of all, why do we pray for our food?
Here's the reason it's not a ritual.
This is the reason First Timothy chapter 4 beginning in verse 4.
For every creature of God is good.
And nothing is refused. If it is received with
Thanksgiving, that's number one, the privilege of eating all
kinds of food is conditioned upon the very fact that we
receive it with Thanksgiving. Then in verse 5 for it is
Sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
That's the point. What gives us the right or
permits us to eat? It is by Thanksgiving and
prayer. So that's the reason that we
offer thanks for our food. It's not to be seen of men, it's
not a ritual, it's not a habit. It's because all things every
creature, all manner of foods. Nothing unclean is okay.
In the sight of God if you do so with prayer and that is a
thankful prayer. What else?
Ephesians chapter 5. And verse, oh, by the way,
Sanctified means to be set apart or devoted to a righteous use.
In other words, we are permitted to use that by Thanksgiving and
prayer, Ephesians 5:20, giving, thanks, always for all things to
God. The father, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We are to thank God.
Through Jesus Christ. So those are the reasons why we
pray for our food. But is it wrong?
If I say the same words, no. Absolutely not.
If you're praying for the same things, Prayer after prayer.
Jesus showed, when he prayed for the same thing, he used the same
words. I'm not saying there's a
memorize set of word. I'm just saying it's permissible
to use the same words. The point being, is this is
where are the words coming from? Do you mean the words every time
you pray? Is it coming from your heart?
Are you really thankful for the Bounty that God has given us?
Are you really thankful for the blessings?
He has given us in life. Are we thankful for the
blessings of the day? Why are we thankful for the
food? He is provided.
If you are and you say those words and you say the same
words, there's nothing wrong with that prayer.
We don't have to come up with dissimilar words, prayer, after
prayer. And by the way, any prayer.
I'm just going to add this to whatever you say when you pray
for food, whatever you say, it's all fine.
Provided is scriptural, things that we can pray for, and number
two, that it's something that's coming from your heart,
whatever? That is fill all that in, and
that's all. Okay.
When you pray for your food, Jesus, condemned meaningless
things, he knows everything and so he wants us to pray to God,
the Father persistent in prayer is commendable as long as our
motives are sincere. Paul was persistent about The
Thorn In the Flesh, Jesus talked persistence in the parable of
the Widow and the Arrogant judge in Luke 18 and 7 and shall not
and shall God not avenge his own elect who cry.
Out day and night to him though. He Bears long with them.
Matthew chapter 6 and verse 8, going back to our text,
therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things
you have need of before you ask him, all right.
He still wants us to talk to him.
What are the benefits of sincere praying?
By the way, in life, all of us are like this.
Nobody likes, insincere people. If somebody says that they're
sorry but you know that they're not sincere.
It really dates. What they have to say, everybody
loves somebody that it comes from their heart in the very
sincere. What about prayer when you pray
with sincerity, a sincere prayer, does the following
number one, When we pray a sincere prayer.
We are strengthened. As we cast our cares on him,
Number two, we come to more fully understand our dependence.
That is upon God. And God Only We Are reminded
also that we are his children through the blood of Jesus
Christ. Martin Luther said, one time, he
said by are praying. We are.
Instructing our self more than we are him.
Jesus said all of that. And then he's going to give a
little model prayer. We're going to go one verse from
this prayer. One verse from this little
example and it's inverse chapter is in verse 9 of Matthew chapter
6. He says, in this manner,
therefore pray Our Father in heaven Hallowed, be your name.
After Jesus instructed his disciples, how not to pray, he's
going to give them instructions on how to pray and he gives
eight points. We're not going to go into those
today. He gives eight points.
Now, sometimes people think well this is The Lord's Prayer.
No, it's not. It's not the Lord's Prayer.
The Lord's Prayer is the prayer that Jesus prayed.
If Darren prayed this morning, that was Darren's prayer because
Darren prayed the prayer. And we all said, amen, whether
you did. So out loud or in your heart,
that became your prayer too. When somebody's is somebody's
prayer, has to be the prayer that they prayed.
But, according to the Gospel of Luke, we find that this was not
a prayer. It was not a ritual idea.
It was not something they were supposed to say verbatim.
It was in response to the disciples when the disciples
said teach us how to pray. So Jesus says and then by the
way, that's not in Luke chapter 11 so Jesus teaching them how to
pray in this sermon. He says, in this manner, he
says, pray Our Father You know, we know that God is the almighty
Creator, right? He is the almighty Creator.
But he's also our father. In fact we have a relationship
with him. You know, when Paul said Abba
Father We say Abba Father, Abba, by the way is an Aramaic term of
endearment used by children to their father.
This is so powerful to me, not only is it his paternity, he's
our paternal. Father in this regard, he is the
great Creator, but we have a relationship with him.
And by the way, when you say Abba Father, it is a term of
endearment given from a child to a father That's the relationship
that Christians have with God. He not only is our creator.
He is our father and we have that relationship with him in a
term of endearment. We have that kind of a close
relationship. What else he says in heaven?
You know God is in this lofty position and therefore man
should give him a ultimate adoration but there's more he is
also omnipresent. That's such an interesting
concept, such a great blessing. We know he's in heaven, that's
where he is. But he's also omnipresent
meaning he is everywhere. God is everywhere, what a great
blessing and you know you can know exactly where he is and he
time you ask him and you call on him, he's there.
He's in a lofty position of heaven.
But he is are omnipresent heavenly father.
But then the last part right here, Hallowed Be Your Name.
The name of God must be held in reverence.
It must be held in adoration. It must be held in honor and
without disrespect if Jesus Christ who also is deity, God,
the son who was the only begotten Son of God that died
for the Ends of the world who lived a life that was perfect
with notion at all tempted in all points.
Like, as we are yet without sin, if Jesus calls his father in a
prayer, Holy Father, how much more should we do the exact
same? I thought about this yesterday?
There's Many religious circles today, that there's a disturbing
growing Trend in, it's called casual worship.
There's a trend that teaches that God is to the Christians
there buddy and can be approached as an equal.
But the practice of casual worship is not found in the word
of God. For the wife of the tell of
televised television preacher that said go to worship, but
don't do it for God. God wants you to be happy and
worship makes you happy. Therefore, go to worship because
you're going to be happy and that's the way you have to look
at it. You know, really me being happy
is irrelevant. We serve God because it's about
God not me whether I like it or not.
Now hopefully and prayerfully. I would like it and love it to
serve God, but it's about God. It's not about us.
There's nothing nothing in the Bible that teaches casual
worship for your own benefit. Nothing at all.
So when we say hello would be your name, we are giving him the
name that he should have and we submit to that casualness of
worship. Often times is manifested in
actions. Speech.
And even dress, that is immodest.
And that borders on sacrilege one.
Commentator said, I love this worship is not a casual Act of
friendship, but it is a sacrifice of transcendent.
Homage, that's what worship to God.
Is irreverence in prayer, is only one area that a man
violates, God's expectations of worship.
We can show our irreverence in other ways to kind of like this
kind of like cash. Jewel, attendance absence from
worship for secular events being bored.
Dozing off. Not paying attention letting our
minds wander during the communion when we're supposed to
be focused on what our Lord has done for us.
Just giving some examples, how our minds can drift.
And when we do that, we are showing a reference for God,
because it's all about God. It's not about us.
God is our Supreme Creator, the creator of the universe every
prayer and every worship should include praise.
Adoration to the father. I like what?
Revelation 4 and verse 8 says, in fact, a song was written and
you all know the song by this passage Holy.
Holy, holy Lord, God Almighty. In closing this morning.
We've noticed some principles of proper prayer would notice.
Number One, never pray to be seen of men. now, I gotta say
one thing about this, folks, I like what Linwood Smith said one
time There's a big group at a table at a gospel meeting.
We're somewhere, might be in the New Year's meeting.
I think we were in California, so I think it was a New Year's
meeting. And I remember what Linwood said
he's sitting at the head of the table and it was loud in there
and we were talking about offering.
Thanks. And can you hear everybody able
to hear? Is it just too loud?
And Lynwood said, listen, we don't do so to be seen of others
or because of the image were portraying but we can't also on
the other side. We can't be ashamed either.
So when you pray, don't be pray to be seen of men.
Look at me. I pray for my food.
Do it to be seen by God. Number two.
Pray publicly. Absolutely.
But always for the right motives, always for the right
motives and it's never about us. Number three, do not use.
Vain repetitions in these are meaningless phrases, but it
doesn't mean that. If I say the same words in a
prayer today as I did yesterday, it's a vain repetition.
It's where it comes from. It's got to come from the heart,
if it does whatever you say is. All right.
Number four. Address the father with
reverence in every aspect of your life.
In every aspect of worship in every aspect of prayer
addressed, the father with reverence and make our petitions
in the name of Jesus Christ. These are the principles for
proper prayer and when we do that whether or not we do so
privately or publicly God will reward us openly, he hears us
and he answers those prayers. I'm through Thank you for your
kind listening to what we had to consider.
I hope and pray. Something was said, that was
helpful or encouraging to you in some way.
We thank you for listening to our podcast.
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