Questions about Matthew 6:5-13 .. about prayer

Let's look at it.

In verse 5, what does Jesus say?

 

He says not to be like the hypocrites. Why? What is it that the hypocrites are doing that he does not want us to do?

Does he not want us to pray?

Does he not want us to pray in public?

or does he not want us to pray in public to be seen by men?

 

What are these hypocrits praying for?

 

Their reward is to be seen of men and praised for their piety and righteousness.

 

I guess you should first answer the question, What is prayer?

Is it not communicating with God? What should we communicate to God? The desires of our heart. We can share our physical needs. We can confess our sins. And we can be like Jesus and pray to be in the will of God, whatever our circumstance.

The men who prayed publicly to be seen of men have their only reward in that they receive the benefits that man can give; worldly delights.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Yea,
I was trying to lead CoJo to that conclusion but he must have had to leave.

Shall we continue or wait for his response?

 

We have a deacon who says the same prayer word for ward every Sunday for as long as I can remember. Everyone gages how much longer he'll be praying by where he's at in the prayer. I'm not saying it's not from his heart, but it would seem the heart would change as times/situations change.

They have their reward = The reason for the public spectacle is so others will see and witness their spiritualness... They have their reward because the average person thinks they must really be a good Christian praying in public like that. people will slap them on the back and testify to how good a Christian they are...

We should not care what man thinks of our religion, it is more about our relationship with God. It is better to do all your praying in a closet and let man think you never pray then to do all your praying in public and never be heard on high.

 

Another thing to really consider: alone-time with God.

That is difficult. But I think that the more time we spend with Him, the more like Him we become and we'll want to stray from Him ( or sin) less and less.

Our pastor resigned and until we can set up a schedule and/or get us an interim pastor, I've been preaching. In order to do so, I have to spend a LOT of time in prayer and in God's Word.

And I'm here to testify that the old truth is indeed true....praying to God and studying His Word will change you.

 

Not really sure how it fits into the discussion but....


That's a Big ole AMEN! :thumbs:

 

sorry. went on a nice rant.


pray in private. have some alone time with God.


praying for the sake of looking "the good Christian man" for all to see is shallow.

we don't want mankind to hear us; we want God to hear us.

 

I picked up on your meaning after I posted. Probably should have deleted mine. I'll try to keep you and your church in mind for prayer till you find the man God wants you to have.

 

CoJoJax Even though Jesus is talking, that prayer is not a prayer for us today. There were no Christians there. Everything is operating under the Law of Moses at the time. So Jesus is basically preaching moral righteousness. You should read Matthew with that thought in mind. On the hand there is a lot to be taken from Matthew by the Christian.

Over here on this side of the cross, we pray differently. Today we are praying for the salvation of the lost. Be specific. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. For their spiritual growth, health, guidance, wisdom, knowledge, understanding. Pray that the Lord will help each Christian discover their spiritual gifts and use them for His glory. Pray for your Pastor and church. The Pastor needs giudance and would want to know what the Lord's vision/plan is for the church. Pray for faith, spiritual growth for yourself, the church and others. Remember the military and their families. The country's leaders. Give thanks to the Lord, praise him for all that he has done. I will sometimes thank him for every breath, heart beat and pulse and tell Him I know it comes from him and that if my next heartbeat comes, it will come by His grace. Don't forget the youth, elderly, handicapped and those in hospitals/sick.

Well that should keep you busy for awhile. Now hopefully 6 months from now they will be calling you "Old Camel Knees".

 

I want to add one thing to quickened1 post.

Yes, are can and are even encouraged to pray for ourselves.
Paul when speaking about praying states that we can bodly before the throne of grace to find mercy and grace in our time of need:

Not to mention that Paul prayed for himself as well. However should our prayers be self centered? No. Should we pray for ourselves? Yes.


I do disagree though with quickened that the Prayer which Jesus used to teach his disciples how to pray is not for us. The disciples were the teachers of the NT and it was through that prayer they learned to understand about not only how but what to pray.

Look at the Lords prayer as skelton in which we are add flesh to it. For each part add your own heart and words to it. Let it 'guide' you in prayer but do not let it simply 'be' your prayer.

 

Boy, do I disagree with this! The prayer is not moral righteousness at all but is a prayer showing one's entire dependence on God. We first acknowledge God and who he is; we acknowledge that his will is supreme; we petition him for this day's provisions; we ask forgiveness and forgive others; and we ask for protection from temptation. It is all about depending on God.

My pastor is doing a 4 part series on the Lord's prayer and we have study guides on it. It is a very rich and enriching prayer. Think about each line in it and what it says. This has nothing to do with moral righteousness!