How, Not What
Matthew 6:9-13
I’m going to step out on a very shaky limb here...and poke some
fun at Carla, who’s not exactly the “let’s-get-back-to-nature” type
-imagine that we
crest the top of a hill in northwestern
and behold, for the first time, the spectacular Grand Tetons
--the view is absolutely breathtaking
-I pull over to the shoulder to take in the majesty of God’s creation
--we sit in silence trying to grasp the raw, rugged beauty and yet
the tranquil serenity of what lies before us across the valley
-Carla is the first to speak: “That bug you hit really splattered all
over the windshield, didn’t it?”
That story didn’t really happen, of course...but it certainly could have
-we do things like that all the time, don’t we?
--we focus so intensely on the details that we miss the proverbial
“big picture”
---we do it with the books of Daniel and Revelation...
concentrating so hard on the meaning of the 3rd horn on
the beast, for example, that we overlook the main idea of
the prophecies and visions: the beast will ultimately be
defeated by God...and because He is victorious that
means all believers will be victorious, as well
----but we tend to forget that tremendous news, and
choose, instead, to spend our time analyzing horns
---and, I’ve discovered, we are also quite fond of doing the
same thing with the Lord’s Prayer
Preachers/commentaries like to pick it apart, as if looking for some
hidden treasure...while all along, the treasure is the prayer itself
-you don’t crush a diamond looking for something of value inside
--the diamond itself is what’s valuable...if you crush it, you’ll still
have, technically, a diamond...but in your search, you will have
diminished, if not destroyed, the treasure
-by preaching on one phrase at a time, we lose the overall power
and message of the prayer
--so while it may seem elementary, let’s take a step or two back
...and take in the magnificent simplicity of this prayer
Let’s make sure we all remember why Jesus addressing the subject
of prayer in the first place
-Read Matthew 6:1
--then to illustrate His point, Jesus gives three examples of those
“acts of righteousness” that are often abused
---giving to the needy, praying, and fasting
Last week we studied Jesus’ teaching on prayer practices...
Read Matthew 6:5-8
Jesus then continues teaching as He shares the model prayer,
commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”
-again, we’re going to resist the temptation to break it down into its
various components
--and we’re going to resist the temptation to make this prayer
some sort of Christian mantra that is to be recited mindlessly
---clearly, in light of Matthew 6:7, Jesus never intends for us
to turn it into that
The first part of Matthew 6:9 is important and must not be ignored à
This, then, is how you should pray...[NIV]
-or the KJV has à After this manner
therefore pray...
Two significant things must be highlighted before we move on:
-the word “then” (“therefore” in the KJV)...
--why is “then/therefore” such a big deal?
---because it signifies the contrast between that kind of prayer
(described in vv. 5-8) and this kind of prayer that He’s about
to teach
---He’s not saying, “That prayer is ok, but this prayer is better.”
----instead Jesus is proclaiming, “You can call it ‘prayer’ all
you want, but that’s not prayer at all. It’s nothing more
than religious theater. Listen to what prayer is all about.”
---Jesus isn’t teaching a new & improved prayer...rather He’s
showing us the heart of true prayer...which reflects the heart
of a true pray-er
-the other significant thing in the first part of v. 9 is found more in
what Jesus doesn’t say as much as what He does
--listen again and see if you pick up on it...
---KJV à After this manner therefore pray...
---or the NIV expresses it in one word à This,
then, is
how you should pray...[NIV]
--got it now?
---while there’s nothing wrong with praying this prayer...and
even
doing it often...still, Jesus never
said, “This is what
you should pray.”
----these are not magic words...they are not a foolproof
formula for getting God to give you what you want
-----instead they are a pattern...and when combined
with the truths of vv. 5-8, they form the
foundation of genuine Christ-like prayer
And genuine, Christ-like prayer has some foundational elements
-a grace-based relationship with the one, holy God
-a desire to see His will accomplished, not ours...as well as a
complete surrender to His will, whatever that may involve
--I sense a need to comment on this aspect
---I have heard preachers and have read authors who
condemn the use of the phrase, “if it be Your will” in the
context of presenting a need before God
----they claim it reveals a lack of faith to pray, “God,
please heal my friend’s pneumonia, if it be Your will.”
----they claim it is God’s will for your friend to be healed,
so tacking that phrase on at the end is essentially
showing God that we don’t take Him at His word
---while not discounting the importance of faith, I’m going to
side with Jesus on this one...if He prays for God’s will to be
done, then I think I’m going to, as well
----the danger in doing that, however, is that God will
answer that prayer...which means you’ll no longer be
in control—He would—and that’s an awfully scary
proposition to consider...one that few ever try
The prayer goes on with....
-an expression of our dependence on God for our true needs
--Jesus mentions bread...and so surely we must recognize that
even our most basic food is a gift from God
-a trust in His willingness and ability to forgive us and protect us
-and a faith-filled acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty—His rule—
over all creation
Something impressed me this week...and it has to do with the
historical timing of this event
-I have to confess that I may be making something out of nothing,
but I have an idea for you to consider
-Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount (and, of course, taught
the Lord’s Prayer) relatively early in His ministry (Matt. 5-7)
--but later in His ministry, and clearly in a different setting,
something rather strange happens
Read Luke 11:1
I can’t confirm this idea by quoting a well-known scholar...so pray,
study, and consider the source (me!) before you accept this as truth
-while studying, I wondered why one of the disciples would ask this
--perhaps he was absent on the day of the Sermon on the Mount
--perhaps, he “faded during the latter part of the middle” as Peter
did in Fish Eyes
--or perhaps—and this is me speculating here—this disciple is
thinking, “Lord, we know the prayer You taught us on the hill
that day...we even memorized it—it was a real good one...but
we’ve been following You for quite a while now, and we were
thinking that perhaps You could come up with something that
has a little more meat to it, You know? We’re not saying
we’re not being fed, of course, but...what else You got?”
---he may be like those who bounce around from one church
to another because they claim they’re not being “fed”
----my response to that is plain, “A pastor’s responsibility
is to give you spiritual nourishment through his
preaching and teaching...true. But it is not his job to
chew your food for you.”
---but you know, I’m a little more hopeful here...and I’m going
to go with the motivation that this disciple truly desired a
deeper prayer life...and there’s nothing wrong with that
But here’s what’s odd...Jesus doesn’t reply with a dissertation
-He doesn’t preach a sermon entitled “Seven Habits of Highly
Effective Pray-ers”
--instead, Jesus essentially repeats the same, simple prayer He
first taught in Matthew 6...except this time it’s even shorter!
Then He reinforces His point with a series of short parables
Read Luke 11:5-13
But now returning to The Lord’s Prayer...what’s the big deal anyway?
Well, something else that’s been impressed upon me this week
-there seems to be a parallel between this prayer—the prayer Jesus
teaches is the ideal prayer—and the Great Commandment
Let me refresh your memory...Read Matthew 22:36-39
-this commandment—love God, love others—Jesus says is an
accurate summary of the entire Old Testament!
--and not surprisingly, we see the same themes in the prayer
Jesus lays before us as our guide to praying
This prayer has its focus solely on God
-the prayer is to God, about God, and for God
--it’s not about the Kingdom or bread or temptation...it’s about Him
-around 1400 A.D.,
Julian of Norwich prayed à God, of
Your
goodness, give me Yourself for You are
enough for me. And only
in You do I have everything.
Someone has paraphrased Jesus’ teaching on prayer this way à
Religious leaders, your prayers have taken on a life of their own.
Maybe at one time there was a simple love for
God. And your
prayers facilitated that. But somewhere along the way, prayer
became the point,
not God. That is, praying became
the point of
prayer. Rather than God being the point of prayer.
The focus is God, but at the same time...you cannot read, much less
pray, this prayer without a firm conviction of the emphasis on others
-I could not find a single translation that uses the words “I”, “me”,
or “mine”...do you know why?
--Jesus didn’t use those words—He had no use for them here
---He taught us to pray, instead, using words like “our”, “us”,
and “we”, in addition to “Thy” and “Thine”
-that simple change in our language would revolutionize our prayer
I will close by sharing something originally written by Malcolm
MacPhail that I’ve adapted/paraphrased
I cannot say Our, if the living of my faith has no room for others and their needs.
I cannot say Father, if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily living.
I cannot say who art in heaven, if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.
I cannot say hallowed be Thy name, if I, who have taken on His name, am not holy.
I cannot say Thy kingdom come, if I am unwilling to surrender the leadership of my life to Him.
I cannot say Thy will be done, if I am unwilling to or resentful of having it in my life.
I cannot say on earth as it is in heaven, unless I am truly ready to give myself to His service here and now.
I cannot say Give us this day our daily bread if I don’t expend honest effort for it myself or if I fail to care for the needs of others.
I cannot say and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors if I continue to harbor bitterness in my heart.
I cannot say lead us not into temptation if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted.
I cannot say deliver us from evil if I have no real desire to be delivered, but would rather stay in my sin.
I cannot say Thine is the kingdom, if I do not give the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject.
I cannot say Thine is the power if I fear what others may do to me.
I cannot say Thine is the glory if I seek my own glory.
I cannot say forever if I am worried about tomorrow.
I cannot say amen unless I can honestly say, “Regardless of the cost, this is my prayer.”
Now may we pray together just as Jesus taught His disciples to pray...